After one season with the University of Michigan, Steve Shields was selected by the Buffalo Sabres in the 1991 NHL Entry Draft.
Shields played for Michigan and for the next three seasons he led the league in wins and goals against average in the 1992-93 season. He was also named to the CCHA's First All-Star Team in both '93 and '94 while also being named to the NCAA West Second All-Star Team in those years. A Hobey Baker finalist in 1994, Shields, left Michighan after his senior yearin 1994 to begin his professional career playing with the Rochester Americans of the AHL and South Carolina Stingrays in the ECHL.
The 1995-96 season saw Shields make his debut in the NHL in a brief two-game stint with the Sabres, though he spent the majority of the season with in the AHL. He split time over the next two seasons between Buffalo and Rochester, backing up Dominik Hasek when he was with the Sabres. Shields was traded to the San Jose Sharks in 1998 where he immediately got more playing time than he had seen in the NHL previously.
Shields played with the Sharks for three seasons before moving on to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in 2001-02. Following a brief one year stay in Anaheim, the former University of Michigan standout moved on to the Boston Bruins in 2002-03 and then on to the Florida Panthers in 2003-04.
