Kevin SHATTENKIRK

New Rangers defenseman and New Rochelle native Kevin Shattenkirk faced off with The Post’s Steve Serby for some Q&A ahead of the Blueshirts’ season opener Thursday night.

Q: What message would you want to give to Rangers fans about you and about your new team?

A: The thing that I’ve known or kind of learned is that even though not everyone on this team is from New York, they kind of think like New Yorkers. They’ve kind of become New Yorkers by association (smile). They just care about winning a Stanley Cup as much as the fans do. I guess we kinda share their pain, in a way. It’s something that we want more than them, and I think it’s important that they know that. We grew up our entire lives and envisioned winning the Stanley Cup. And I think we put everything we have into it, and I think when it fails for you as a player, it hurts more than you think. I think it’s good for them to know that even though we may not show it on the outside, every year your window shrinks, and I think it means that much more to you.

Q: Why can this team win a Cup?

A: I think we have every single piece of the puzzle in play. We have goaltending. We have a great defensive corps that can move pucks and be as tight in the defensive zone as we can be creative in the offensive zone. Our forwards are extremely skilled. We have a tremendous amount of speed upfront. Once we get the chemistry with a few new faces in here and things start clicking, we’re a team that’s deep, and I think that we can just keep rolling four lines and really just overwhelm teams with the speed and the creativity and the skill that we have.

Q: What drives you?

A: I think throughout my career, I’ve kind of always been put in the second tier of — I think everyone thinks I’m a good player, but not quite good enough to be one of the top guys. And I think that’s what drives me. I kinda play with a little chip on my shoulder with something to prove. When you look at the best defensemen in the game, they’re obviously all exceptional players, but I think I can be considered in that class, and that’s why I’m here, to kind of try to be that guy.

Q: Your on-ice mentality?

A: I like to be aggressive. I like to take risks at the right time. I like to push for offense and try to bury teams when you can. I’ve learned in a lot of playoff games and big games that when you sit back like that, it feeds other teams’ momentum and allows them to build their game and get back into games when you should be trying to keep making plays and frustrating them with puck possession and just not sitting back and making it easy on them. My old coach used to say I play my best when we’re down by a goal because I just play and don’t think and just try to be aggressive, make plays offensively, and that’s kind of the mentality that I try to play with is play with desperation, play urgent.

Q: A scouting report on Kevin Shattenkirk.

A: Offensively, that’s where I definitely shine — in the offensive zone, kinda from the red line in. ... I think defensively, I’m more of a stick-position guy, being in the right position between the puck and the net and not as physical. You can tell I’m not overly big in stature (smile), I’m not a bruiser by any means, but I think defensively I try to outsmart opponents and poke the puck off their stick and try to separate them from the puck that way.

Q: How will you deal with being recognized around town?

A: (Laugh) I always kinda figured that coming back to New York, it’s New York City, no one’s really gonna recognize you. ... Most people have their head down. They’re walking with their headphones in anyway (smile). It’s cool, more than anything, just kind of interacting with New York fans. Those are the people that I grew up knowing and the people I was around my entire life, and for them to kinda stop me and want to talk or say hello or get an autograph, it’s something that I don’t take for granted as a professional athlete. I always tell some of the young guys, if they don’t like it or whatever, I’d say, “One day, no one’s gonna recognize you, so just enjoy it while you’re kind of part of it.”

Q: But it can be a burden or a distraction, right?

A: I know it’s definitely more pressure. I don’t think it’s a burden. I think I’m ready for it. I think at this point in my career, I’ve been through it a little bit, so I know how to handle it. As a player, you have to challenge yourself to deal with new obstacles and push yourself to new extremes. Playing in New York as a player, the pressure is probably higher than anywhere else — a couple of teams in Canada have it. It’s time for me to experience that and push myself into that situation because you can come out of it a much better player and a much better person if you can learn how to deal with that pressure and handle it and perform under it. It kinda forces you to always be on top of your game. It’s that constant push from the fans, from the media, that you have to use to kind of make sure that you’re not being complacent and taking any nights off.

Q: What will your emotions be when you step on the ice Thursday night?

A: Without a doubt, I’ll be nervous. Warm-ups, you’re kinda trying to do your thing, but you’re peeking in your peripheral vision, looking to see if you know anyone in the stands, if they’re waving at you ... but once the game gets started — like, I look forward to getting through my first two shifts, and then usually at that point is when things usually click in and it becomes another hockey game and you’re able to settle into the game itself.

Q: Rangers fans?

A: I think they’re passionate, that’s for sure. They’re always hungry for championships. I think that’s the most important thing as a player that you have to realize is that New Yorkers expect the best or nothing. That’s the way that they view every season — it’s win or bust. They’re extremely supportive. I think for as critical as they can be, if we are to win a Stanley Cup here, it’ll be that much sweeter to do it in New York, not only for me but for all of these guys because I think New Yorkers will take care of you, appreciate you, until the day you leave the earth. They’re that loyal.

Q: You were 5 when the Rangers won the Cup in 1994.

A: I remember Game 7 against the Devils. I remember the parade and how big that was.

Q: Do you visualize holding the Cup?

A: One of my good friends (Nick Bonino) the last two years has played for the Penguins. The image of him holding the Stanley Cup has made it more real to me. When you see someone you know who’s won it, it really fuels you to want to win it. It makes me want to get it even more because I know how sweet it was for him. ... I envision myself holding a Cup one day, and I think that’s what you have to do as a player.

Q: The first time you played in the Garden?

A: The first time I played at the Garden was in college. We did a thing called Red Hot Hockey. (Boston University) played Cornell. And that was a lot of fun. It’s kind of a college atmosphere in the Garden, which was a blast, but it didn’t feel like you were playing in the Garden yet because you weren’t playing the Rangers. I actually didn’t play my first game in the Garden until my third year in the NHL. I had probably 100 people there. It was nerve-racking. ... I felt like I needed to have a hat trick and the third one had to be the gamewinner. ... You just put all that pressure on yourself. I think we won with about five minutes to go, and I think I had the game-winning goal, so that was pretty special.

Q: Where were you on 9/11?

A: I remember my mom — she teaches at the school I went to as a kid (Iona Grammar School in New Rochelle) — she just pulled me out of class. It was probably 10:30. They hadn’t announced it to the school. I don’t think they wanted to freak anyone out. She just told me what had happened and let me know my dad was OK ’cause my dad worked at the Deutsche Bank building, which was right next to both of the Towers. Came home, and he was home on the couch watching the news. He actually saw the second plane hit.