GRAND RAPIDS – At age 37, Daniel Cleary has seen pretty much everything in hockey.
He has won a Stanley Cup as a member of the Detroit Red Wings. He has represented Canada at the IIHF world championship. He has even fought 6-foot-6 Chris Pronger — no small feat for a man standing 6-feet-nothing.
Now, though, he’s back in the AHL, playing for the Grand Rapids Griffins amid a Calder Cup playoff run. And on a roster filled with young NHL prospects, his experience is an asset that can’t be overstated.
On Tuesday night, Cleary and the Griffins came back from 4-1 deficit to beat Lake Erie, 5-4, and stave off elimination in the Central Division finals.