It's not just the 2,268 miles that tell how far Logan Shaw has come to this big break with the Florida Panthers.
Shaw's hometown of Glace Bay, Nova Scotia, is a remote outpost on the east end of Cape Breton Island with a rich history in coal mining and fishing. But the mines have closed and fish stocks have declined, leaving picturesque scenery, bitter-cold winters and a difficult economy to carve out a living.
So when the rookie forward scored his first NHL goal last Tuesday against Ottawa at the BB&T Center it was like a ray of Florida sunshine transported to Glace Bay.
"It's a small town; it's a blue-collar town. It's pretty special to be able to be where I am right now coming from there. There's a lot of hard-working people from there," said Shaw, whose phone blew up with reaction about the goal.
"I'm having a lot of support. I make sure I let people know back home that it means a lot to me because it really does, knowing that everyone home is watching your games and rooting for you."
Those tuning in last Thursday's game against Washington saw Shaw lined up for the opening faceoff opposite superstar Alex Ovechkin.
Panthers coach Gerard Gallant had Derek MacKenzie's line, with Shaw and veteran wing Jussi Jokinen, matched up against Washington's top line. The group was instrumental in keeping the high-scoring Capitals bottled up until Ovechkin scored in the final three minutes of the Panthers' 4-1 victory.
Shaw wasn't on the ice then, but was a minute later for an opportunistic empty-netter to seal the win and forge a two-game goal streak.
"We see it every night. After a game everybody is talking about Logan Shaw, how well he's playing, how smart he looks out there," Gallant said. "He plays in key situations for us. He scores an empty-net goal, so you know you trust him when he's on the ice in that situation."
With the Panthers sputtering along in late November on a three-game losing streak, Shaw and Connor Brickley were called up from AHL affiliate Portland to infuse some youthful energy. They have won six of eight since then.
Shaw, who was tied for the team lead at Portland with seven goals in 13 games, is starting to show his offensive skills along with the hustle that was sought. He said it has helped in recent games being paired with veteran MacKenzie and Jokinen, whom he credited as mentors in helping him get established.
"Every game he's getting better and better," MacKenzie said. "We talked a lot about him moving his feet and using his size. I think in the last few games he's really done a great job of that. He's skating and creating room for a guy like Jokinen to make plays. He has been a spark."
Shaw, a third-round draft pick in 2011, didn't figure in the Panthers' plans for this season. But Gallant said he impressed throughout training camp and just missed making the team to open the season, positioning himself for the early call-up.
"He skates really, he's a smart hockey player and he's bringing offense to our club too," said Gallant, who also came from a small island town in the Canadian Maritimes and found stardom in the NHL.
Shaw is the fourth player from Glace Bay to reach the NHL, according to Hockey-Reference.com, but there's been a gap. The most recent and notable was Doug Sulliman, who scored 160 goals in a 10-year career that ended in 1990.
So it is easy to imagine the vibe felt more than 2,000 miles away when Shaw lined up to face Ovechkin.
"I'm sure my buddies back home were watching that one too," Shaw said. "It was pretty cool to stand next to him on the opening draw, but I didn't let him know that."
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