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Mason Shaw hasn’t deserved to come out of the Wild lineup. As coach Dean Evason puts it, “He brings a gritty effort every single game.”
Still, with the Wild carrying an extra forward, someone has to sit out on a nightly basis, and it’s been the 24-year-old Shaw more often than not over the past couple of weeks.
“It’s hard,” Evason said. “It’s simply a number game.”
Shaw was inserted into the lineup on Thursday after Ryan Hartman was scratched because, Evason said, he had been taking too many costly penalties. He played 8 minutes, 3 seconds in the Wild’s 3-2 overtime victory at Xcel Energy Center.
Though he’d much rather be playing every night, Shaw has been the epitome of professionalism regardless of his current situation. Not only does he work his butt off in every practice to make sure he’s ready whenever his number is called, he plays the same way in every game no matter how long he’s been out of the lineup.
“That’s something I’ve always prided myself on, just bringing good energy and making sure I’m not dragging guys down,” Shaw said.
That mindset is something he learned from his dad, Aaron, while growing up in of Wainwright, Alberta, where the population is a little more than 6,000. The life lessons learned on the family farm have manifested themselves countless times on the ice during Shaw’s rise up the ranks.
Which made last week extremely special for Shaw as he got to bring his dad on the annual guest trip.
“I’m extremely grateful that my dad got to come with and share that experience,” Shaw said. “He’s never experienced anything like that. He enjoyed every single minute of it. That’s a memory we’ll share forever, and hopefully we can do that again some time in the future.”
Fittingly, Shaw got to showcase his professionalism with his dad on hand last week as he played against the Florida Panthers, then sat out as a healthy scratch against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
“The coaching staff makes the decision on who they want going and that can change on a nightly basis,” Shaw said. “Whenever I’m in the lineup, I know what I’ve got to do, and I try to put my best foot forward. At the end of the day, we’re all pulling the rope in the same direction here. Whoever is in the lineup, we’re cheering them on, and trying to get the win.”
The fact that Shaw has never once complained about playing time is something Evason greatly appreciates.
“He will do whatever he has to do to help the hockey club win,” Evason said. “It sucks that we have to sit a guy out.”
There’s a good chance Shaw will be out of lineup for Saturday’s game against the Buffalo Sabres. He will carry himself the same way whether he’s on the ice or in the press box.
“Obviously, I’m not happy when I’m not playing,” Shaw said. “At the same time, it’s no one’s fault in here. We’ve got a really deep team. I know me dragging my (rear end) around and feeling sorry for myself is not how we’re going to win games.”
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