New York Rangers: Kevin Shattenkirk ready to send Barry Trotz a message

New York Rangers defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk is ready to send his former coach a message.

Friday night, the New York Rangers head down to D.C. to face off against the Washington Capitals. It also happens to be a bit of a homecoming for defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk. Shattenkirk finished last season with the Capitals before signing his free agent deal to join the Rangers. He had spent the previous several years with the St. Louis Blues before being dealt to Washington last season.

Capitals coach Barry Trotz was asked about Shattenkirk and how he contributed to the team. Here is what he had to say (via Tom Gulitti from NHL.com):

"“It worked in areas that we wanted. He helped our power play. He made it more dangerous and that,” Trotz said. “I think everybody thought of him as a 1-2 [defenseman], and he really wasn’t. He was a little lower. … But I think overall he was fine.”"

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Some of that was complimentary, but some clearly wasn’t. It really isn’t difficult to read into the fact that Trotz didn’t think he was as good as he was expected to be when the trade was made. Saying he was believed to be a top defenseman and actually wasn’t is pretty straightforward.

It’s not a big leap, to figure that Shattenkirk didn’t like the quote when he heard it. He didn’t.

"“I mean, it doesn’t sit well with you,” Shattenkirk said of Trotz’s assessment. “It’s nothing that you enjoy hearing, but I think there’s a lot of people who probably think that about me. I like to use that in my favor and try to use that as something to just keep me [motivated] and prove people wrong.”"

There are a couple of ways that people can use doubt, especially doubt from trusted people such as coaches. One way is to let it get to you. A player can let that doubt come into his own psyche and let it impact his opinion of himself. When you do that, your play becomes a victim. The player starts to perform down to that doubt rather than rise above it.

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Or, doubt can be a motivator. The player can use that doubt to show the coach how wrong he was. He can use it to take his play over the top, which is what Shattenkirk plans on doing Friday night. It wouldn’t be surprising if he puts in a strong effort in this game. Watch and see.

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