Krupa: Cleary faces veterans’ cold reality

(Photo: David Guralnick / Detroit News)Detroit — In the NHL there used to be a place on the roster for the veteran who could still perform well enough to get the job done at times, and whose experience made him an example to those still early in their careers and wise enough to help win some games.

But that was in the days before all of the big money, the salary cap and work rules obtained by the blunt force of lockout or strike, when the world seemed a gentler place.

The aging player would sometimes play every other game or so, while the young were eased into the lineup. Often enough in a bygone era coaches could use extra slots on the roster to carry older players mostly for playoff duties,…