Shine cherishes 'amazing' NHL debut for Red Wings at age 31

DETROIT -- Dominik Shine said he never thought this day would come. There was a point last season, his eighth in the American Hockey League, when he considered retiring from pro hockey. He was away from his family too much.

But the veteran forward realized it was special for his young son to see him play, so he thought he’d hang on for one more year and see what happened.

Well, here’s what happened: His son, at 21 months old, got to see him make his NHL debut at 31 years old for the Detroit Red Wings in a 5-2 win against the Los Angeles Kings at Little Caesars Arena on Monday.

Finally, it was time to Shine.

“I just can’t believe …” Shine said, his voice trailing off. “To be here today, it’s just … It’s amazing.”

Shine became the oldest skater to make his NHL debut since defenseman Evgeny Medvedev did it with the Philadelphia Flyers at 33 on Oct. 8, 2015, and the oldest Red Wings player to make his NHL debut since center Vaclav Nedomansky did it at 33 on Nov. 18, 1977.

“I feel everybody who knows him and has played with him is so happy for him right now,” said Red Wings forward Elmer Soderblom, who has played with Shine with Grand Rapids of the AHL the past three seasons. “It’s just a really heartwarming story to hear.”

Shine was born and raised in the Detroit area. He grew up watching the Red Wings, idolizing “Grind Line” guys like Kris Draper and Kirk Maltby, and playing for the Little Caesars youth hockey program.

After four seasons at Northern Michigan University, he joined Grand Rapids. His bio lists a series of tryouts and one-year contracts. He ground it out for 462 games, mentoring young players and trying to plant roots for his wife, Taylor, and their son, Cooper.

He has 32 points (11 goals, 21 assists) in 40 games for Grand Rapids this season, on pace for AHL career highs. When the Red Wings needed help due to injury and illness, he got the call about 10:30 a.m. ET on Monday while driving Cooper to get him some ice skates. He signed a two-year contract with the Red Wings and reported to Detroit.

“It was crazy,” he said.

Shine’s parents landed in Maui on Sunday for a Hawaiian vacation, so they couldn’t make it to the game Monday. But many friends and family members did. Shine saw his son against the glass during warmup and bumped fists with him as he was coming off the ice.

“To have him look at me and smile, I can’t put it into words,” he said.

Shine had two hits, two takeaways, one blocked shot and one shot attempt in 9:50 of ice time.

“Being a kid from Detroit, it’s something you dream about,” he said. “Maybe, I don’t know, you just pretend like you’re on the Red Wings or put on a jersey. But to actually be able to wear it in a regular-season game and be here is just something I’ll cherish forever.”

Todd McLellan, hired as Red Wings coach Dec. 26, said he didn’t know Shine existed before Monday. But he said the story was motivational for the team, because Shine had earned his way to the NHL and earned his keep in his debut.

“He’s persevered,” McLellan said. “He’s resilient. I’m sure there’s been moments he’s probably looked in the mirror and gone, ‘What the hell am I doing?’ But he stuck with it and got rewarded.”

After the final horn, the Red Wings played their usual victory song by Journey: “Don’t Stop Believin’.”

Asked how the reality of his NHL debut compared to what he imagined, Shine smiled.

“Way better,” he said.