Red Wings' Shine: Making NHL debut at 31 'something I'll cherish forever'

Detroit Red Wings forward Dominik Shine was on cloud nine after making his NHL debut Monday night at 31.

"I just can't believe," Shine said, per NHL.com's Nick Cotsonika. "To be here today, it's just ... It's amazing."

Shine signed a two-year contract with the Red Wings on Monday, with the club battling injuries and illness. The Michigan native has spent the past nine seasons with the Red Wings' AHL affiliate, the Grand Rapids Griffins.

"Being a kid from Detroit, it's something you dream about," Shine 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."

Shine logged 9:50 of ice time and registered one block and two hits in his NHL debut. Red Wings head coach Todd McLellan said he hadn't heard of Shine before Monday.

Shine was the oldest skater to make his NHL debut since Evgeny Medvedev in 2015 and the oldest Red Wing since Vaclav Nedomansky in 1977. Both players were 33 years old.