SPRINGHILL – From 2008 to 2011-12 season, he was one of the Cumberland County Blues, scoring over 70 goals and 70 assists during his career with the team. Now, Jordie Shaw is still with his team, but in a different roll. The assistant coach retired his jersey, No. 18, during Friday night’s game, while being serenaded by Tina Turner’s Simply the Best.
“It means so much coming from a team that you’ve played with for the last four years, and affiliate player before that,” he said before the game. “It’s almost like a job; you come to work, you do your thing and you come home. For the last four years, I’ve done just that and now, they’re going to pay me back.”
Shaw finished his final season with the Blues as a player last year before being brought on as assistant coach.
“I think it’s because they liked my work ethic as a player,” he said. “I trained a lot and worked hard every day of my life so I feel like that’s what they were looking for. And because I was team captain last year, they know I have the leadership skills to lead a group of guys whether it’s as a coach or as a player.”
As assistant coach, Shaw said he has many skills he wants his players to work on. He said he has the players working on their preparation for their games as well as the effort they put into each game.
“It’s the same routine whether you’re coaching or playing,” he said. “But you have to find a routine that’s going to benefit you everyday. If the players break routine, that’s when they start playing bad. You have to drive it into their head that it’s the exact same thing everyday, whether they’re at home or on the road. You have to play the same way.”
Shaw said his love of hockey started when he was young because of his father’s love for the Montreal Canadians. They had a small ice rink in their backyard where he said he was skating for as long as he can remember. The game is in his blood and he doesn’t think it will ever leave him.
“Not anytime soon at least, I love it way too much.”
Shaw retires his jersey following former Blues player Matt Noiles, who retired his jersey earlier this season.
jturner@amherstdaily.com
