EDINA, Minnesota – The Winnipeg Jets blue and silver bag over his shoulder looked a little odd.
But as Mason Shaw left Braemar Arena after Wednesday’s Da Beauty League game, the Minnesota Wild fan favorite’s popularity had clearly not waned.
“Mason! Mason!”
“We love you!”
Shaw, 27, had spent the first seven years of his career in the Minnesota organization. There was a lot of heartache and pain as Shaw suffered four ACL tears, but he came back strong each time. There’s a reason Shaw was the local chapter of the PWHA’s nominee for the Masterton Trophy and why the Wild staff considered him a “player with heart and soul.”
And although Shaw signed a one-year, $775,000 contract with the rival Jets in July, not much has changed. He spent this summer in Minneapolis, where his girlfriend is from and where all his best friends – teammates on the Wild – live. They played golf. They drank beer. Eventually they will split up and then play against each other in two of the first three preseason games in September.
“Some of the guys I’ve met in Minnesota over the last few years are guys I’m going to hang out with for the rest of my life,” Shaw said. “This place is obviously very special to me. In the short time I’ve been here, I feel like I’ve made a home of sorts.”
GO DEEPER
Mason Shaw’s “wild” journey from his father’s perspective: “You can’t write something like that into a script”
Shaw played 82 games over three seasons with the Wild, including 20 last season after returning from his fourth ACL surgery. But both Shaw and Minnesota seemed ready for a fresh start since he did not receive a qualifying offer in the offseason. Shaw said he and Wild president and GM Bill Guerin spoke on July 1, Day 1 of free agency, and there were no hard feelings. “I respected their decision,” Shaw said. “And they respected mine.”
Shaw said he had a few similar offers as a free agent – one-year, two-way deals – and decided to join the Jets, where he thought he would be most comfortable.
He knows he’ll hear it from the fans as he joins one of the Wild’s biggest rivals.
“I just looked at the map to see what the shortest drive to the farm would be,” Shaw said with a laugh, referring to his hometown of Wainwright, Alberta. “Because the 18-hour drive back to Wainwright is not very fun. I see the first two or three preseason games will be against the Wild. Ultimately, it’s going to be about competing. Let’s see what happens when the puck drops.”
Mason Shaw signs autographs for fans after a Da Beauty League game. (Joe Smith / The athlete)
Shaw feels like an NHL player, but he still has to fight his way onto the roster – again.
“I have to go out there and prove it,” Shaw said. “I have to prove that my health is not a problem and that I can play at the highest level. The summer was great for me. The way the season ended here, it was a great achievement to come back and what I went through. But I didn’t play at the level I wanted. But the summer is going great and I’m going to do my best.”
Although Shaw was a part of the Wild’s lineup last season, primarily on the fourth line, he knew he wasn’t back to where he needed to be. It’s hard to get back to speed during a season.
“Last year, there were days on the morning run, of course, you’re fighting every night to get in the lineup, right?” Shaw said. “You give it everything you’ve got. But maybe you don’t have the stride that you’re used to. And I knew that would be the case because I’d done that too many times. But I feel like, you know, it’s been over a year and a half since the surgery and I feel like I’m back to being the Mason Shaw I can be.”
GO DEEPER
Big evening for Wild player Mason Shaw, who gives his heart and soul
Shaw spent most of the summer in Minnesota, although it was the first time he wasn’t training with his teammates at TRIA (last summer he was allowed to train and recover from surgery there, even though he technically didn’t have a contract). Shaw hung out with many of his good friends here, from Matt Boldy and Brock Faber to Jake Middleton. Shaw played in a group with Ryan Hartman and Jon Merrill in the Hendrickson Foundation Golf Tournament at Prior Lake on Thursday.
Shaw also went home for a few weeks; his sister recently had a baby, so he became an uncle. “It’s something that resets you mentally and always brings good realizations,” Shaw said of coming home. “You realize who you’re playing for. Sometimes you feel like you’re on an island when you go through that. But it was great to be back.”
Shaw said he’s heard good things about the Jets organization from Nate Schmidt, who he played with in the Da Beauty League. Adam Lowry has also been in touch and the two plan to play golf together before camp. “There will be new people, new challenges and opportunities,” Shaw said. “So it’s a little nerve-wracking. But at the same time, it’s exciting.”
Shaw said he’s looking forward to when the Wild are in Winnipeg and he can have a beer and dinner with the guys. And the Minnesota fans he took photos with and signed autographs for Wednesday night will always be close to his heart.
“If you told me in 2017 that I would be playing 2-3 seasons with the Wild, I would have pinched myself like you were lying,” Shaw said. “Nothing but good memories. That’s where my dream came true for me. I grew up a lot and got a taste of what the NHL is like. It’s addictive and I want to keep doing it.”
“I can’t say I’ve had a 10-year stint like Matt Dumba, but I feel like my time here has been very special. It’s exciting to see what the future holds, but right now this is my home for many reasons. So many good people around me that are very special.
“I will definitely miss it.”
(Top photo: Brace Hemmelgarn / USA Today)
