The Black Sticks were trailing Korea 2-3 in Sunday's fifth and final test at Mount Maunganui and had the scoreline stayed that way, the series would have been shared 2-2.
But with 10 minutes to go, defender Shaw, who had already decided his 177th test would be his last for his country, rocketed home his 130th international goal to level the scores and give New Zealand a 2-1 series win.
"It was pretty cool," Shaw, 30, told NZPA today.
"I had my normal time on the field in the series (against Korea) but every time I was on, we didn't seem to get any penalty corner.
"That I was able to score the final goal in the game, in my last game for New Zealand, was pretty amazing."
At his peak, Shaw, who made his international debut in 2002 against Australia, was recognised as the deadliest penalty corner drag flick exponent in the world.
At end of the 2006 World Cup in Germany where New Zealand finished eighth, Shaw was selected for the World Cup All Star team.
But Shaw, who won a 2002 Commonwealth Games silver medal at Manchester and a bronze in New Delhi last year rates New Zealand's sixth placing at the 2004 Athens Olympics as his best moment in the sport.
Shaw, typically, played his part, converting a last-ditch penalty corner for a 2-1 win over India, which saw them qualify for them the fifth and sixth play-off match which they lost 0-3 to Australia.
"That was probably the most crucial goal I scored for the Black Sticks," Shaw said.
He rated Canadian goalkeeper Mike Mahood, who retired after the Beijing Olympics as the hardest to beat in his career.
"Mike was a big moment player and when the big moment came, he was up for it as much as I was."
In a nod to his other sporting love, cricket, where he was a good enough fast-medium bowler to represent Canterbury at first-class level, Shaw said he had a good innings in hockey and had been thinking about retirement for some time.
Family had taken priority now with the birth of his son, Ollie, now seven months old.
"I always wanted to want to be the best and to be the best you've got to want to go to training and for me, the want to go training has been definitely outweighed by the want to be at home with Ollie and my wife, Joanna."
The primary school teacher at South New Brighton School said the current national team could well do the country proud at next year's Olympics.
"As we have seen (in the summer international series) the improvement has been huge and this was a younger group being blooded and there is a lot of potential coming through."
He has been asked by national coach Shane McLeod to help drill the penalty corner unit with London 2012 in mind.
Shaw, who will continue to play for his Selwyn club and for Canterbury in the national league, said the dream was for the game to go professional locally.
"That's half the reason why I am retiring."
Having to juggle work, family, financial and sport commitments for five to six months each year was a struggle.
"I had injury after injury last year and that was to do with me having to be at work and not being able to do rehabilitation properly.
"All players would dream of having a bit of an income from hockey but unfortunately that's going to be a wee way away."
