Dominik Shine was on his way to buy skates for his 21-month-old son when his phone rang.
The trip to buy skates was off. In its stead, a trip to Detroit, to Little Caesars Arena, and a long-awaited NHL debut for the Detroit Red Wings.
‘We’re pretty excited about winning that game,’ coach Todd McLellan said minutes after Monday’s 5-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings, ‘but we’re really excited that he was part of it.’
The Wings (24-21-5) rolled off a third consecutive victory at Little Caesars Arena, rallying from an early two-goal deficit. They did so with a patched-up lineup because veteran forwards Patrick Kane (upper body), J.T. Compher (upper body) and Vladimir Tarasenko (unwell) were unavailable. Tyler Motte’s return eased things a bit, but not enough, and so at 10:30 a.m., assistant general manager Shawn Horcoff called Shine.
‘It was amazing,’ Shine said. ‘I was driving my son to get some ice skates, actually. It was crazy. I’m so thrilled for myself but also my parents and everyone who put in hard work to get me to where I’m at.
‘Being a kid from Detroit, it’s something you dream about – pretend you’re on the Red Wings, or put on a jersey – but to actually be able to wear it in a regular-season game is something I’ll cherish forever.’
Not everyone he wanted, though, made it to LCA.
‘My parents landed in Maui yesterday for a vacation so they could not make it,’ Shine said. ‘I thought that was pretty funny. My mom’s probably a little upset. They were watching from the beach. But I had a ton of family and friends here.’
What made it so special is that Shine is 31 and has been a career minor leaguer, appearing in 462 games for the Grand Rapids Griffins of the American Hockey League. He joined the organization on an amateur tryout on March 14, 2017, following his senior season at Northern Michigan University, and has posted 72 goals and 98 assists in his AHL career.
That’s a long time to go without being called up, and Shine admitted to wondering if it would ever happen.
‘There was a point last year where I had my first child,’ he said. ‘In the American league you’re away from your family a lot, and I was kind of thinking about maybe being done. And then once I had my kid, I realized it’s really special for him to see me play, so I thought I’d play one more year and see what happens. I just can’t believe – to be here today, it’s amazing.’
During warmups, Shine’s wife, Taylor, was by the boards with their little boy, Cooper.
‘He recognized it was me,’ Shine said, smiling. ‘He’s just starting to be aware of his surroundings. To have him look at me and smile, I can’t put it into words.’
Before Shine could suit up for the Red Wings, he had to be signed to a two-way NHL contract – and he got one that lasts through 2025-26, adding a measure of job security. Then he went out – wearing No. 50 – and played a solid and safe 10 minutes.
‘I thought he performed just like we thought he would,’ McLellan said. ‘I didn’t know Dominik Shine, and shame on me, existed this morning. That’s how new we are to the organization, too. So when it’s time to call people up, you rely on the staff.
‘I found out about his story today and it was motivational for our group. It was a good choice. He earned the contract, he earned his way here and he earned his keep tonight.’
While McLellan only joined the organization on Dec. 26, one of the players who scored Monday, Elmer Söderblom, is well familiar with Shine from being teammates with the Griffins. Seeing Shine debut was special for Söderblom, too.
‘It’s so fun to see,’ Söderblom said. ‘I’ve been playing with Shiner for multiple years now, so it’s so exciting to see him out there. All the hard work he’s put in, he deserves it. It was really fun to watch.’