{coyotes} Shanahan weighs in on how he does job

Whenever there was trouble on the ice during Brendan Shanahan's playing days, he usually was in the first wave that answered the call.

During his 20-year NHL career, he had 2,489 penalty minutes, all well-deserved. He had 17 Gordie Howe hat tricks — a goal, assist and fight in the same game — 15 more than Howe actually had.

Shanahan had a reputation as a player who could aggressively and effectively defend himself, and he's bringing that same level of passion to defending himself as an NHL executive.

"This is such a highly scrutinized and criticized department, even before you make decision one. The only thing you can do is do it with every ounce of integrity that you have," Shanahan said Monday in an exclusive interview with USA TODAY Sports. "Otherwise there is no way for you to rest your head on the pillow at night."

The first NHL playoffs are still ongoing, and Shanahan already has handed out nine suspensions, including a 25-game suspension to the Phoenix Coyotes' Raffi Torres that tied for the second-longest in league history.

"As a player, I always felt the first round was always the wildest, most unpredictable and the most dangerous for upsets," he said. "To lose in the first round is almost worse than missing the playoffs. We know that in our office."

He accepts the criticism as part of the job description. "You listen to the constructive criticism, and you drown out the noise," he says. "And you do your job."

The NHL's Department of Player Safety mission statement hangs on the wall of the New York video room: It reads: "We want to make the game as safe as possible while preserving the intense, physical, passionate nature of hockey."

Shanahan says everyone in his department embraces that mission in every decision that comes out of his office.

Here is what he had to say on a variety of topics:

•On whether stars receive special treatment: "We look as deep as we can into each situation. There are some stars and superstars in all sports that have an ugly history of offenses. But there are fewer of them. I would say as a whole, they don't have a historical record of repeat offenses that other players might have. It always comes to the specific case and what happened. (Alex) Ovechkin got three games, and he's a superstar. Duncan Keith got five games, and he's a superstar. Mike Green. Nicklas Backstrom. We just look at their history. Then we have non-superstars who get one or two games because they don't have the history, either. We try to go past reputation and look directly at a guy's history. If you played a long time and you have a clean record, you will receive a shorter suspension, whether you are on the first line or fourth line."

•On whether players respect each other in today's game: "This suggestion that these players in this day and age are less respectful of each other is wrong. I think they are passionate. They want to win. It's a physical game and sometimes they cross the line. That's why the league started this department that focuses squarely on this. People want to focus solely on our suspensions, but we look to change equipment. We put to general managers rules that can protect players. We also look for educating and communicating. When you are that exposed, you are bound to get criticized. That comes with our job."

•On whether he was sending a message with his Torres suspension: "It's always strictly about the player who is in front of me. This was my ninth suspension of the playoffs. I've read in the media that I'm supposed to be sending a message. Well, which player deserves the unfairness of going into a hearing and getting a sentencing not based on the facts, the play, or his history? … Each player, to me, deserves honesty for his hearing."

•On why suspensions are shorter if the victim isn't injured severely: "If you look at analogies from society's legal system, there are penalties for conspiracy to commit murder that aren't as severe as the penalties for murder."

•On whether he views the Pittsburgh Penguins' Matt Cooke as a symbol of how the suspension system works to change player behavior long term: "Matt's comments are always good. He's reluctant to take a victory lap. He knows it's always a work in progress. He has reached out to our department when he's confused or has a question. We have an open-door policy. He came to New York to talk to me before the season because he had questions."

Shanahan said he is pleased that players are changing their habits to make it a safer game

"Nobody notices all of the safe landings at the airport," Shanahan said. "But we notice. We all sit in the room at night, and we see players pulling up or passing up a potentially dangerous hit."

Sometimes, Shanahan says, he sends positive feedback to players he notices who have a chance to make a major hit but pass it up because they know their victim is in a vulnerable position. "I think it's difficult when you are asked to play a physical game on skate blades," Shanahan said. "There will be hits we don't like, and when that happens, we will suspend players and no one influences our decisions."

Shanahan calls Damian Echevarrieta his department's "encyclopedia" because of his precise knowledge of the rulebook and player histories. "We try to do the job with as much honesty, integrity and accuracy as we can," Shanahan said. "We do the job the best we can with as great of consistency."

He wouldn't say this department doesn't make mistakes. He says they are constantly debating rulings, but it's usually a matter of two games vs. three games and not whether a player should be suspended.

"We would be arrogant to think our department is infallible," Shanahan said. "But I think this group puts tremendous hours into this. … It's seven days a week, 24 hours per day."

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