Winter Classic to test Shattenkirk's ability to play his game for Rangers

NEW YORK -- What would 12-year-old Kevin Shattenkirk from New Rochelle, New York, have done to get his hands on a ticket to the 2018 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic at Citi Field?
"Probably anything," said Shattenkirk, now 28 and a defenseman for the New York Rangers, the team he rooted for growing up. "I think it would be one of those things that you're asking for on your Christmas list. You're writing to Santa and hoping he drops those in your stocking. I have a birthday in January too. I think this would be my gift for the year."

The irony here is that instead of scrounging for a ticket, Shattenkirk bought some of them, a small price to pay for signing a four-year, $26.6 million contract with his hometown team July 1.
Shattenkirk bought 10 tickets and helped arrange another 25 for family and friends to attend the Winter Classic game between the Rangers and Buffalo Sabres on Monday (1 p.m. ET; NBC, SN, TVA Sports, NHL.TV).
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"I'd probably say in the stands there will be over 100 people that I know," Shattenkirk said.
The Winter Classic is special for everybody involved. It creates memories that last a lifetime. It creates moments that live forever. But this one this year in this venue undoubtedly means more for Shattenkirk than anyone else.
He is the lone player in the game who is from the New York area, who grew up a New York sports fan, of the Rangers and Hall of Fame defenseman Brian Leetch, of the New York Mets and Hall of Fame catcher Mike Piazza.
New Rochelle is 13 miles from Citi Field and 20 miles from Madison Square Garden.
"It's great just to know the types of people that are going to be in the stands [Monday]," Shattenkirk said. "They're the kids that I grew up with, the people who are so passionate about hockey in this area."
Even now, Shattenkirk remains one of those passionate New York hockey fans. Perhaps he's never been more passionate because he's never had as much at stake in hockey in this area, in the Rangers, as he does now.

"There's no doubt that him being from New York, this area, growing up here, all the friends and family that he's going to have for this game here, is going to be something very special for him," Rangers coach Alain Vigneault said.
Special, though, comes with a price.
Shattenkirk's transition to the Rangers hasn't been smooth.
"I would say he's a work in progress," Vigneault said. "There's no doubt that our expectations and his expectations are a little bit higher than what we've seen so far."
Shattenkirk has 22 points (five goals, 17 assists), including 11 on the power play, in 38 games. He's on pace for 47 points, 23 on the power play. That's on par with what he has averaged the past four seasons, and it looks good until you realize he hasn't scored in 22 straight games and has no points in the past five games and two in 11 since Dec. 8.
It's not OK that the Rangers are 0-for-15 on the power play in the past five games and 6-for-57 (10.5 percent) in 20 games since Nov. 15. Shattenkirk is supposed to be their savior on the power play, the quarterback who makes the whole thing work.
"I think [Shattenkirk] is probably putting a little bit of pressure on himself to do real well in front of new teammates, a new environment, friends and family," Vigneault said. "Sometimes it takes a little bit of time."

Vigneault's comments were relayed to Shattenkirk. He didn't disagree with them.
Shattenkirk said he still is trying to find a level of consistency and comfortability in New York's system, which requires defensemen to go back quickly for the puck and move it quickly out of the zone instead of going back slowly, waiting for a regroup, and trying to skate it out.
"It's aggressive and it's something that intrinsically I haven't gotten it to become a natural instinct yet," Shattenkirk said.
He said he was guilty of putting too much pressure on himself. That goes back to the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs, when he was with the Washington Capitals, who acquired him Feb. 27 in a trade from the St. Louis Blues to be the final piece to their championship puzzle.
It never materialized that way. Shattenkirk struggled, and the Capitals were eliminated in the Eastern Conference Second Round by the Pittsburgh Penguins.
"I've always wanted to be the harshest on myself, more than anyone else," Shattenkirk said. "There are times when I think I need to let myself off the hook a little bit and relax. I've felt that way the last couple games. I've felt a lot more relaxed and just playing my game."
The Winter Classic will be a great test of his ability to do just that.

The atmosphere will be electric and the elements uncontrolled. He'll be center stage in front of family and friends, but also probably some people he used to know who now only brag that they once knew him. Maybe a future NHL star from the New York area will be in the stands with his father, right where 12-year-old Shattenkirk would have wanted to be.
None of that is lost on Shattenkirk, but forgetting about it all and just playing is the key to relieving the pressure and being the player the Rangers know he can be.
"I'm very confident that we're going to get that," Vigneault said, "because at the end of the day, our team needs that."