Life is what you make it. Growing up, Riley Sheahan and his older sister Karli were encouraged to participate in sports by their parents, Mike and Peggy, who were both physical education teachers in St. Catharines, Ontario. “We always had access to gyms when we were young,” Sheahan recalled. “At times, I was more into basketball than hockey because both my parents were basketball coaches. My mom even played basketball at a Canadian university.” As the family was living north of the 49th parallel, however, it was almost inevitable that Sheahan would eventually gravitate toward hockey. “Most of my friends were playing hockey and I eventually realized that I was better at hockey than I was at basketball.” While his sister turned her sights on rowing (she earned a scholarship to the University of Texas), Sheahan focused on hockey, eventually playing Junior B hockey in his hometown and earning the attention of the University of Notre Dame. Although he visited Boston College, Sheahan admits there wasn’t much debate about where he was headed. Coming from an Irish family, Notre Dame seemed a natural fit. In fact, he is the second cousin of defenseman Brock Sheahan, who had starred in South Bend two years before his arrival on campus. “My official visit was unbelievable,” he recalled. “I got to see the Michigan-Notre Dame football game, which the Irish won, and it was crazy with the whole place going nuts. “I liked the idea of coming to a prestigious school with a beautiful campus and buildings, and playing hockey for a good group of coaches. At Notre Dame, I felt I could be in an environment with other kids my own age and learn how to manage my time and how to live on my own. “Sometimes the school part was demanding and got a little frustrating. There weren’t many classes you could blow off, but I was lucky to share my time there with a great group of guys.” During his sophomore season, the Irish
advanced to the Frozen Four – college hockey’s version of basketball’s Final Four – and although the team lost to eventual champion MinnesotaDuluth, Sheahan said it was something he’ll never forget. “We had 12 freshmen in our lineup, so we weren’t even supposed to be that great, but we had a really close team, which made it even better. It was like we came out of nowhere.” Sheahan brought size (6-foot2, 212 pounds), speed and skill to the Irish lineup, appearing in 114 games over three seasons before he decided to forego his senior year to sign with the Red Wings. Detroit had selected Sheahan in the first round (21st overall) of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft that was held in Los Angeles, where he had flown with his family. “It was crazy because it was something I never expected to happen,” he said. “I remember sitting there with my agent and he looked at me right before the Wings’ pick and told me to fix my tie. “I got a little nervous and as soon as they called my name, I almost blacked out. I got all dizzy and felt like I didn’t know what was going on. As I was walking up to the stage, so many things were going through my head. “It was awesome that my family was there to share it with me because they deserved it just as much as I did because they were so supportive over the years.” Sheahan played seven games in Grand Rapids last season after signing an amateur tryout contract with the Griffins. He signed with the Red Wings last April and saw his first NHL action in the Wings’ regular-season finale on April 7 against Chicago. “Everything happened so fast, I didn’t have much time to sit there and think about it,” he recalled. “But stepping onto the ice and seeing all the fans was just crazy. I was a little shell-shocked at first, but once you get into the game, you realize you’re there for a reason.” His first shift in the NHL was a bit inglorious. “I gave up the puck and I was backchecking, and when I went to lift his stick, I missed,” he recalled. “I got the guy right in the mouth and got a four-minute penalty for high-sticking. It wasn’t
“It made me realize that I have an opportunity that a lot of other people will never experience.”
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