TORONTO -- On this day, Canadian Thanksgiving here north of the border, it was a native of Middletown, New Jersey, who was as thankful as anyone.

With good reason.

For veteran forward James van Riemsdyk , the wide grin he sported in the dressing room after helping the Detroit Red Wings to a 3-2 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs at Scotiabank Arena told the entire story.

“After what my family and I have been through, it’s such a relief,” the 36-year-old told NHL.com. “It’s great to be back doing something I love.”

And playing a huge role in the victory, too.

Van Riemsdyk, making his Red Wings debut, scored a breakaway goal at 4:25 of the third period to put the visitors up 2-0. It was a sweet moment for him, given he’d had a lot of great memories in this same arena during his

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