Red Wings center Riley Sheahan, best known for his brief role as “super-drunk” Tinky Winky, had gone the entire season without scoring a goal. The effort was there, as Sheahan had 106 shots on goal going into Detroit’s final game, but he just hadn’t finished any of them. His luck changed Sunday against the Devils.
April 9, 2017, exactly one calendar year since his last goal, Sheahan scored in the first period and avoided becoming the first NHL player to notch 100 or more shots in a season without scoring a goal. He was rewarded with the sounds of CeCe Peniston:
Sheahan was responsible for the Red Wings’ first goal of the night, and their last. Late in the third period, he took a pass from Frans Nielsen and tapped in the puck for the final score of the team’s 4-1 win. The Red Wings weren’t making the playoffs, and the game ultimately meant nothing, but Sheahan won’t go down in history as a terrible, unfortunate player. Just as a bad one.