 Riendeau would make his first appearance for Detroit on 25 October 1991 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, in which he would suffer a knee injury 27 minutes into the game, during a shared shutout with Cheveldae, and sideline him for most of the season.When Riendeau recovered, he went on to backup Tim Cheveldae for the remainder of the season and into the playoffs, where they were eliminated by Chicago in the second round.Riendeau continued to support Cheveldae during the 1992–93 season, appearing in 22 regular season games.