Friday, December 29, 2006
What's up with Daniel Cleary?
Apparently, his scoring.
For many years, Daniel Clearly always represented the height of 'laziness' to me. He never seem to 'bring it' very often, and loafed around so much that even Todd Bertuzzi would be shaking his head in disbelief. For all of his promise, Cleary was clearly a 'useless' player for much of his career.
All of a sudden, Cleary started scoring more, playing harder, and turned into a useful player. This wouldn't be the first time that the Detroit Red Wings have turned trash into treasure. It just goes to show what good coaching and development can do for a club. *grumble*
Just check out the career stats...
Yeah, one of these things is not like the other...
Then, I happened upon this article by Pierre LeBrun. It seems Cleary has finally whipped his ass into gear and taken his work ethic to a different level.
It just goes to show that leopards can sometimes change their spots. It'll be interesting to see if Cleary can maintain this new-found production.
For many years, Daniel Clearly always represented the height of 'laziness' to me. He never seem to 'bring it' very often, and loafed around so much that even Todd Bertuzzi would be shaking his head in disbelief. For all of his promise, Cleary was clearly a 'useless' player for much of his career.
All of a sudden, Cleary started scoring more, playing harder, and turned into a useful player. This wouldn't be the first time that the Detroit Red Wings have turned trash into treasure. It just goes to show what good coaching and development can do for a club. *grumble*
Just check out the career stats...
Year Team GP G A Pts +/- PIM
97-98 CHI 6 0 0 0 -2 0
98-99 CHI 35 4 5 9 -1 24
99-00 EDM 17 3 2 5 -1 8
00-01 EDM 81 14 21 35 5 37
01-02 EDM 65 10 19 29 -1 51
02-03 EDM 57 4 13 17 5 31
03-04 PHO 68 6 11 17 -8 42
05-06 DET 77 3 12 15 5 40
06-07 DET 37 17 11 28 12 8
Career 443 61 94 155 14 241
Yeah, one of these things is not like the other...
Then, I happened upon this article by Pierre LeBrun. It seems Cleary has finally whipped his ass into gear and taken his work ethic to a different level.
Look no further than Hockeytown for one of the coolest stories in the NHL this season.Now, if only JAN BULIS could start emulating Cleary and turn himself into a useful scorer, the Canucks might make the playoffs.
Daniel Cleary has a career-high 17 goals and it's not even January yet. "If feels good," the Detroit Red Wings forward said over the phone Friday. That might sound like a cliche from almost any other player but it speaks volumes coming from Cleary. After a decade full of trials and tribulations, it appears he's finally showing the form that was expected of him long ago.
"I've matured as a person and as a player, that's the first thing," said the 28-year-old native of Carbonear, Nfld. "I've dedicated myself to hockey. I've become a lot more determined.
"The last few years, I've really started concentrating on making this a 12-month job and training hard in the off-season and preparing myself."
It just goes to show that leopards can sometimes change their spots. It'll be interesting to see if Cleary can maintain this new-found production.
Labels: Analysis, Cleary, Red Wings
