{"id":401141,"date":"2026-01-11T06:41:37","date_gmt":"2026-01-11T06:41:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/401141\/"},"modified":"2026-01-11T06:41:37","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T06:41:37","slug":"red-wings-van-riemsdyk-dons-batmans-cowl-for-son-dhn","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/401141\/","title":{"rendered":"Red Wings van Riemsdyk Dons Batman’s Cowl For Son \/ DHN"},"content":{"rendered":"

Holy dramatic arrivals, who knew that Batman\u2019s secret identity was that of none other than Detroit<\/a> Red Wings forward James van Riemsdyk<\/a>?<\/p>\n

Well, for one special night it was.<\/p>\n

Arriving at the Bell Centre for Saturday\u2019s showdown for the Atlantic Division lead against the Montreal Canadiens<\/a>, JVR came off the Red Wings team adorned as the Caped Crusader, cowl and all. And he had a very special reason for his unique wardrobe choice.<\/p>\n

Saturday was his son Liam\u2019s fourth birthday. And it just so happens that Liam\u2019s favorite superhero is Batman.<\/p>\n

Since he couldn\u2019t be there to share Liam\u2019s special day with him, van Riemsdyk<\/a> found another way to make his son\u2019s day special.<\/p>\n

\u201cHappy Birthday, Liam! I miss you so much! Love you, buddy,\u201d van Riemsdyk said in a post on the Red Wings\u2019 social media.<\/p>\n

You could say that he was sending his son a personal bat signal.<\/p>\n

JVR Performing Like a Superhero For the Red Wings<\/p>\n

Signed to a one-year, $1 million contract as an unrestricted free agent in July, van Riemsdyk is providing super heroic efforts for the team and receiving superlatives from the coaching staff and his Detroit teammates.<\/p>\n

\u201cRiemer has the ability to handle the puck in tight quarters and find people, and I think that instinct or sense of where somebody might be, he\u2019s been there so often and done it for so long that it happens,\u201d Red Wings coach Todd McLellan said. \u201cIf you can create for yourself and create space and opportunity for your teammates around there, you\u2019re pretty darn good. And James would be one of those.\u201d<\/p>\n

JVR is fourth on the Red Wings with 11 goals. He\u2019s scored 10 goals over his past 20 games.<\/p>\n

\u201cConfidence is everything, and you can see he\u2019s playing with a lot of it right now,\u201d Detroit center Andrew Copp<\/a> said. \u201cAnd, yeah, he\u2019s got a knack for the net. It\u2019s kind of unlike anything I\u2019ve ever seen. Just how good he is around the net, just his craftiness with the puck, and around the net.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that\u2019s what he\u2019s done his whole career. It just kind of can be under the radar a little bit.\u201d<\/p>\n

I. Am. B\u0336a\u0336t\u0336m\u0336a\u0336n\u0336.\u0336 James van Riemsdyk.<\/p>\n

Happy birthday, Liam!#LGRW<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/7b7o22RhcA<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 FanDuel Sports Network Detroit (@FanDuelSN_DET) January 11, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

JVR collected an assist as Detroit dumped Montreal 4-0 to reclaim the Atlantic Division lead, but that wasn\u2019t the most astonishing moment of the night.<\/p>\n

Bell Centre staff made Batman go through security before allowing him to enter the building.<\/p>\n

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