The solitude that Kevin Shattenkirk enjoys at his house in Sag Harbor, on a three-acre parcel mostly surrounded by a nature preserve, is a far cry from his chosen occupation as a professional hockey player. When not launching a slap shot before sold-out arenas as a defenseman for the National Hockey League’s Anaheim Ducks, he enjoys spending quiet times at his off-season home with his wife, Deanna, and their children, Connor, 3, and Isla, 1 — and their dog, Max, a cocker spaniel mix they rescued from a shelter in Southern California.
“Sag Harbor is really our home base,” a smiling Shattenkirk said while sitting at his kitchen table last August. “We just love it here. It’s so peaceful.” He and his wife were married in July 2018 at the Wolffer Estate Vineyard in Sagaponack. “We love being here,” Ms. Shattenkirk said of their house on the outskirts of the village.
Shattenkirk, 33, who was born in New Rochelle, has accomplished much in his career. Even while lacing up his skates as a member of the U.S. Olympic hockey team in Sochi in 2014, he’s had, as they say in his line of business, a good amount of puck luck too (he’s also never lost a tooth while playing the tough sport). However, his accomplishments are mainly results of hard work and determination.
Known as Shatty, he grew up ardently following the New York Rangers and enjoyed watching the team practice at the nearby ice rink in Rye. “I was a big fan of the Rangers and it really motivated me to be a hockey player,” he said.
He idolized Brian Leetch, a smooth-skating Rangers defenseman and Hall of Fame inductee, who led the team to a Stanley Cup in 1994. “I just loved to watch him and I tried to emulate his style of play. He was an amazing skater who could move and shoot the puck.”
As a kid, Shattenkirk played with the New Jersey Devils Youth Hockey Club before attending the Brunswick School in Greenwich, Conn. He then joined the U.S.A. Hockey National Team Development Program and was drafted in the first round (14th over all) of the 2007 N.H.L. entry draft by the Colorado Avalanche.
But rather than turn pro, he joined the men’s hockey team at Boston University. The Terriers captured the national championship in 2009, and a year later, on Nov. 10, Shattenkirk laced up his skates for his first N.H.L. game against the Vancouver Canucks.
“Going to B.U. and playing there really made me a better player and gave me the experience I needed,” he said.
Shattenkirk only played a few months with the Avalanche before he was abruptly traded to the St. Louis Blues, with whom he played for seven seasons before briefly joining the Washington Capitals.
“St. Louis is a great city and I loved playing there,” he said. “But my family always used to rent a summer house in Sag Harbor when I was growing up, and I would usually return here when the season was over. Sag Harbor has been a constant place for me for many years.”
His aunt, who continuously scoured local real estate advertisements, called his attention in 2014 to a house that she thought he should look at in Sag Harbor.
“I looked at many houses, but I was so glad that my aunt pointed me to this one, which we still own,” he said. “It was the first house I ever bought — we can’t ever see us selling it.” In addition to various cousins who also live on the East End, Shattenkirk’s parents, Pat and Barbara, moved into a house a mile away two years ago.
“It’s nice to have so many family members nearby,” he said. “Plus, Deanna’s family is from North Carolina and they visit us when they can, too.”
In the summer of 2017, Shattenkirk signed a four-year contract with the New York Rangers, but he tore the lateral meniscus in his left knee on the first day of training camp, which hampered his play. The Rangers bought out his contract, and on Aug. 5, 2019, he joined the Tampa Bay Lightning, helping the team capture the Stanley Cup a year later by scoring the game-winning goal in game four. Shortly after, he signed a three-year deal with his current team, the Anaheim Ducks.
“Winning the Stanley Cup was surreal,” he said. “Covid was running rampant and we stayed and played in an empty arena in Edmonton. There were no fans, friends, or families to share in the experience which was really unfortunate. Still, winning the Stanley Cup was a dream come true and one that I will never forget.”
Each player on the winning Stanley Cup team gets to have the iconic silver chalice for 24 hours. “We took it to various places around New Rochelle to celebrate with and then into Manhattan for dinner — it was so much fun.” A few weeks later (minus the cup), he and Deanna held a small celebration at the Corner Bar in Sag Harbor. “We love the Corner Bar,” Shattenkirk said. “They have great, simple food and a great vibe.”
Other Sag Harbor favorites of the Shattenkirks include the Beacon, Serene Green, the Dock House, the American Hotel, Dopo La Spiaggia, and the Cove Deli. “Carlos and the crew at the Cove make the best bacon, egg and cheese sandwiches around,” he said of the establishment where several of his cousins worked as stock boys in their teenage years.
At the end of August, after a summer relaxing and playing golf at either the Southampton Golf Club, Montauk Downs, or the Sag Harbor Golf Club, the Shattenkirks returned to their house in Newport Beach, Calif., to get settled for the opening of training camp.
Shattenkirk hopes to continue his career for a few more years, but he is already thinking about life off the ice. “After my career is done, I’d like to continue in the industry, not as a coach, but on the management side or even broadcasting,” he said. “I’ve basically been involved with hockey my whole life and I really enjoy it. My son, Connor, is also getting into the sport, so it will be fun to see him start to play at some point.”