Better Halves
Introduced in 2003, players’ wives and girlfriends team up to assist the Griffins in their community endeavors. For example, in 2011-12, the Better Halves sold bracelets to help raise money for the families who lost loved ones in the tragic Russian plane crash on Sept. 7, 2011 that claimed the lives of the Lokomotiv Yaroslavl hockey team, including former Griffins players Pavol Demitra, Karel Rachunek and Stefan Liv. Throughout the 2024-25 season, we will be highlighting the wives and girlfriends to give them the opportunity to share their stories. Be on the lookout for the better halves out in the community once again this year.
Taylor Shine
Get to know Taylor Shine, Dominik Shine's wife, in our first Better Halves spotlight of the season. Taylor has been with the organization for nine seasons now and she talks to us about her backstory, what it's like being married to a professional athlete, the joys of parenthood, and much more.
Who is Taylor Shine?
I was born and raised in Lincoln, Nebraska, and lived there my entire life. I went to school in Minneapolis, Minnesota, at the University of St. Thomas. I competed on the volleyball team at St. Thomas for four years. Growing up, my biggest hobby was playing any type of sport that I could. After graduating from St. Thomas, I ended up in Grand Rapids with Dom. I love animals and grew up around a lot of dogs and rode horses. I lived a pretty typical Midwest childhood revolved around sports and family.
Tell us the backstory on how you and Dom met.
During my freshman year of high school, I met him through my sister at one of the Lincoln Stars’ hockey parties. We met, instantly made a connection, and the rest is history. We have basically hung out every day since that moment. We also went to the same high school and would see each other pretty frequently.
What career path did you choose and what do you do for work?
I got my degree in mechanical engineering, and I am currently a project manager in new product development at Stryker. I work with the new next generation medical devices in the instruments division. I have worked on a lot of different projects such as batteries for power tools, lap sponges, cleaners and detergents, and sterile processing department equipment. So, I would say I work on projects that have to do with a variety of medical device products and getting those next generation devices out into the field.
What are some of your passions? What do you like to do in your free time?
Now, I would say most of my free time is devoted to our son, Cooper, and our dogs. Between two high-energy dogs and an 18-month-old, any free time I get is spent with them, taking them for walks or going to the park. I also really enjoy cooking and that has been very fun for me. Just exploring different types of food for Cooper was exciting. Once we started to get into solid foods, that was a whole new world of trying to have things in the house for Cooper that we could quickly pop out and have ready to go.
What does a typical game day look like for you?
It’s actually more or less just a normal day for myself. Dom’s game days are not what they used to be. We kind of joke about it now. It was never super rigid, as Dom was never the one to be like ‘I need to nap at 1:30 on the dot.’ He’s pretty relaxed with that type of stuff. Now, maybe naps don’t happen, and we eat more of a wide variety of meals. We also go get Cooper early from day care so he can see him before the game. Cooper and I like to try and get to the rink early so we can watch warmups. Right now, warmups are probably Cooper’s favorite part, so he can see his dad up close.
What is it like being married to a professional athlete? The good and the bad.
The schedule is certainly a pro and a con. At this time of the year, I would say it is a con, but come April I would tell you that it is a pro. It is nice to have that flexibility in the summer and it makes things a lot easier with Cooper and traveling. My family still lives in Nebraska and Minnesota, so it is nice to go see family in the summer. The rest of the year it is challenging, definitely during the holidays since everyone has to come visit us, which is not ideal. Also, the fact that he is physically tired a lot also makes it more difficult with a young child at home. If they come back from a long road trip and don’t get home until 4 a.m., but Cooper wakes up at 7 a.m. ready to go and I’ve been home with him for a week, it’s like ‘sorry Dom, it’s your turn to get up.’ The best part of him playing is getting to see Cooper watch and interact with everyone in the locker room.
How has Cooper changed your lives, and how cool is it to see Cooper interact with dad?
That is probably the best part, seeing Cooper interact with Dom. We joke that once we had him, now Dom can’t retire until Cooper is old enough to appreciate this. Even during the summer we would go in the locker room, and just to see Cooper light up when he sees a bunch of hockey sticks on the wall is super fun, and it only gets better the older they get. Any time you get to see your kid light up and experience pure joy for them, that is unmatched. When he gets to see Dom on the ice, or gets to see the locker room, or see them dressed in all their gear, Cooper just thinks it’s really cool. I look forward to riding that as long as we can.
What are some of your and Dom’s favorite things to do together?
We love to take the dogs to a park that is real close by and just bring a tennis ball or frisbee to let them run around. We love to go to Field and Fire. We enjoy going out to lots of restaurants in Grand Rapids, but I would say Field and Fire is by far our favorite spot. At this point in life, watching a movie on a Thursday night together is an amazing time.
What has been your favorite memory with the Griffins so far?
For me, over the years you meet a lot of great people, and people come and go and maybe you don’t talk to them ever again, but you had those couple years of friendship. There are also a handful of people that become truly life-long friends. I wouldn’t say a single memory popped into the mind, but I would say in 50 years if someone would ask me that I would still say the people that I met were the most memorable. I would still think of Ellen Spiker, Cassie Satala, Nicolina Lashoff, Gabby Criscuolo, and so many others who I would still consider to be some of my best friends today. I think of the girls that I have spent so much time with and the impact they have had on my life.