This is Daniel Cleary. We saw him coming from way back (he was 15 when he made his OHL debut and was named to the All-Rookie season, same year) and was named to the OHL All-Star team in 1996 and 1997.
Chicago drafted him in 1997 and damn near killed him by slotting him into the NHL way before he was ready. As talented as Cleary was, he wasn't ready for the men of pro hockey and didn't have the "toolkit" to compete in the NHL at that time.
Cleary also had maturity issues, which made him typical for his age group (and every damn one of us at the same age no matter the era).
I always liked Dan Cleary. He could take a pass, make a pass, had some size and worked hard. Some things went a little sideways for him in Edmonton and after three seasons (one excellent, one good and one poor) he found himself in the NHL's armpit (Phoenix).
Cleary lasted one NHL season with the Coyotes (hey, that's not so bad. They ship them out by the carton from PHX) and after the lockout season he got a job up Detroit way.
It hasn't been easy for him, and after watching a mid-season interview in which he became emotional about his career, it seems Daniel Cleary has arrived as a man and an NHL hockey player who does things to help his team win games.
In an article from TERRY JONES in the Edmonton Sun today comes a nice quote from Cleary about coach MacTavish: He credits his four seasons with the Oilers for giving him the schooling he needed to hook on in that role with the Red Wings. "I was just a young kid in Edmonton. But when you play for Craig MacTavish you learn how to play away from the puck. That's a big reason I was able to make it in Detroit. That's a big reason why I'm here."
A nice touch by a class act. Daniel Cleary's best NHL season may end tonight but I think we found out a lot about him this season.
I also think those of us (and yes I am one) who in the past have been impatient for the kids can look at this quote against the backdrop of the season past and make two conclusions:
1. The Edmonton Oilers had too many kids this season by several.
2. Craig MacTavish needs a few more "veteran options" on this club. Starting now.
Bad news for JFJ, Rob Schremp and others. Good news for those second tier UFA's like Radek Dvorak who do things to help their teams win.
Good luck Dan Cleary, I'm cheering for you. And thanks for some sound insight into my favorite team and their future.
Agree - the only kids I want in the lineup are MAP and Nillsen at forward and maybe 3 of the kids in the 5-7 slots on defense - maximum. We need way more Dvorak/Johnson/Hartnell and way less JFJ, Shremp and Mikhnov next season.
ReplyDelete....and please put Marion Hossa under my summer Christmas tree too OK :)
There would be nothing wrong with having MP and Thor in the lineup. I think Brodziak might be able to hang as well
ReplyDeleteGood on Dan Cleary for getting his life together and making himself into a pretty damn useful player on a pretty damn good Detroit team.
ReplyDeleteAnd good on him for giving MacT some props. Chris Pronger could take a lesson in being classy from this young man.
Cleary's play has reminded me a lot of another Oiler; Fernando Pisani...
ReplyDeleteHow much less of Schremp can Oiler fans see next year? He only played one game. I'm no fan of his and he's far from ready for the NHL, but he's getting a huge share of the blame for the Oilers' ineptness when he only played one game.
ReplyDeleteThe real problem are the overrated rookies who did play significant parts of the season in Edmonton, like enigmatic Pouliot, and Jacques, whose season was pointless in so many ways. The rest, were also, to a man, dreadful. How about seeing less of them??
Rumours on 1260 were flying that before MacT signed a long term deal, he wanted more control of the players he wanted on his team?
ReplyDeleteThat's why he was recruiting/scouting during the playoffs.
I don't believe he's always saw eye-to-eye with Lowe. He's loved his two-way players.
I think he'd make a great GM down the road
MP and Thoresen and we'll see if Nilsson gets his shot.
ReplyDeleteGilbert on the back end?
And maybe Brodziak as well.
I think we're going to see a few kids again.
I also think (hope) we see a Dvorak and a Mike Johnson and that their salaries are paid by moving Lupul. Unlikely I know but Lupul to a team with no chance (Yotes?) trying to reach the salary floor just makes a lot of sense. Trade him for a fifth rounder.
Not going to happen.
Nice post LT. Good for Cleary for figuring it out. Takes time for some of us. :)
Cleary was a good little player for us during his last 2 seasons for us. He didn't really show the offense everyone was banking on during his Junior days but he molded himself into a different player under MacT.
ReplyDeleteI remember a couple years ago that HF was up in arms over Cleary getting the icetime that he did. It goes to show how fickle fans can be.
And bill needle:
I'd hardly say Schremp is getting major blame anywhere either here on the blogs or on the message boards. The kid has a ways to go before he's going to be a regular in the NHL. Who knows? Maybe he's going to have to remold his game like Cleary did. It might be better for his career if he did.
As for an overrated Pouliot, I shudder to think what Schremp would have done put in Marc's position in the lineup this year. Lupul might have had some tough competition in terms of ES+/-.
- Cleary outplayed his opponents in the Calgary searies.
ReplyDelete- He covered for the rollercoaster efforts of Bertuzzi and Lang
- Excellent PK'er, and some looks on the 2nd PP unit
- Clutch goals
- the new UFA age will make it hard to sort out these guys who will eventually GET IT while their still in your system. On the other hand, some other team will pay the price of maturation if you are on the lookout.
Good for Dan.
Good to see him doing well and great to read some public support for MacT. I have slowly been losing faith in Lowe since roughly July 2006 but I still think MacTavish is a very intelligent coach.
ReplyDeleteI'd love to be convinced otherwise but I don't think there's anything Lowe can do to make us a playoff team in '08. This division is the toughest in hockey and with 32 games within said cluster, plus the the fact that teams like Col now have some dead money coming off their books and that kids like Wolski should be better in '08, there's no good reason to believe that the Oilers aren't a great bet to finish last in the NW.
ReplyDeleteSo, I'd have no problem giving Gilbert the 6th slot and I'd really have no problem with a Gilbert/Smid bottom pairing. It might result in some roadgame ass-raping the likes of which hasn't been seen, well unless Lupul played for your team in '07, but it's not a bad place for a kid to get his cuts in. And that would mean that Grebs would have to go all Bieksa, ie come out of nowhere to be a bonafide top four guy, and then we'd need maybe a Hejda or Shaggy to round out the Grebs-Smith-Staios top four. Of course where does this leave Matt Greene? The Oilers seem to have renewed faith in him since the stretch run plus the WHC so maybe he's got a place too and we're about to see a Grebs-Gilbert-Smid-Greene-Staios-Smith
D corps. I know guys might laugh at that but where's the real motivation for the Oilers to spend money? The fans will come out anyway and senseibly, no one can project the Oil making the playoffs unless Lowe finds his Kevin Lowe to deal with, much like Burke did
Showerhead, as much as we've seen players develop, so have we seen MacT develop as a coach. I can just remember the OT game against Dallas where MacT decided to reward BG and Oates for a good game by staring them in OT vs Modano and Lehtinen. I bet you MacT can chuckle about that blunder now that he's further in his career.
ReplyDeleteJust before he left, Cleary was putting in some good work with Marchant and Horc on a checking line. I said when he left that he was rounding into being a steady player. The same thing's happened to Devereaux as well. He did an excellent job with the Leaves after he was recalled and then was signed for nothing for two more years.
ReplyDeleteYoung Guys, I easily see 7 in the top 23 for next year:
ReplyDeleteSmid - on the oilers top d pairing first 2 months of last season
Grebeshkov - one-way contract - the "Winchester Rule"
Gilbert - Been given the official Laying on of Hands by the Org
Jacques/Stortini - one of, gotta have some Team Toughness
Pouliot - should be ahead of Reasoner, if he gets his act together could pass Stoll.
Thoresen - Fernando's young, Norwegian cousin.
Nilsson- reasonably cheap and skilled, is there room on a soft line?
That leaves
Greene, Brodziak,Roy,Schremp
Debakey, IMO Greene gets the spot before Gilbert, NHL experience is going to mean a lot to this year's version of the Oilers, even if it's just over 100 games.
ReplyDeleteThe only way Pouliot passes Stoll on the depth chart is if Stoll never comes back from injury. Jarrett's going to be the future captain of the Oilers. Pouliot's creative, i'll give him that, but he doesn't have the extensive skill set that is Jarrett Stoll. Leadership, good speed, great in the faceoff circle, excellent two-way player, blocks shots, kills penalties, bomb of a shot on the PP. Pouliot may reach that eventually, but doesn't replace Stoll on the top-6 this year.
Nice to see someone else hasn't already forgotten Patrick Thoresen. I think he's got the ability to start the season on the third line and not look out of place. If his offense ever kicks into gear, he could have top-6 potential.
Before I forget, great post on Cleary. He was before my time, but had a great season in Detroit from what i saw. Always nice to hear of praises by former players towards a coaching staff. Gives MacT a vote of confidance in my books.
Too bad MacT is handicapped with Kevin Lowe doing the player procurement. This Oilers club could be pretty good.
ReplyDeleteDid Cleary play for the Red Wings in the 70s or was it Marcel Dionne Night when the pic was taken?
ReplyDeleteCan you imagine a more hardworking 4th line than one of former Oilers Cleary - Devereaux - McAmmond?
ReplyDeleteAll MacTavish trained players...
master lok, its not just that these guys are hard workers but they're damn good hockey players
ReplyDeleteMacT indeed