Daniel Cleary, 38, embraces time with Griffins, Red Wings

Detroit — A decade ago — heck, a few years ago — Daniel Cleary would have been peeved.

Consider the fact this season, Cleary didn’t play in one single game with the Grand Rapids Griffins.

He practiced often with the Griffins. Attended the home games at Van Andel Arena. Had his own locker.

But circumstances as they were, Cleary didn’t play one single game.

And, yet, he was fine with it.

“It’s been a blast,” said Cleary, 38, who was in his second season with the Griffins after spending 10 years with the Red Wings among his 20 as a professional. “We have a good team here. A lot of great guys, a lot of young kids that will be great NHL players. It’s a fun team to be around.

“And, you know what? I love it. I love hockey.”

There are some fans out there who likely didn’t even known Cleary was still playing hockey.

Or in the Red Wings organization.

But after clearing waivers heading into the 2015-16 season, Cleary was sent to Grand Rapids, where he played 35 games and thorougly enjoyed his role as a quasi-assistant coach/player.

Cleary signed an American League contract last summer with the Griffins. He found himself deep down in the depth chart — his own broken-down body after nearly 1,000 pro and minor league games doesn’t help matters — but Cleary has never complained.

If he can’t help by being in the lineup these days, Cleary is intent on making the likes of Tyler Bertuzzi, Evgeny Svechnikov, Anthony Mantha and Andreas Athanasiou, among others, better.

“My wife asked me one day, ‘Why do I do it, why do I go to practice and put my body through all this?’ ” Cleary said. “Again, it’s because I love hockey. I love being out there. I love being at practice, on the ice, being with the guys.

“We have so many great kids here. I do what I can do to help out, give a tip here or there, and if I see something to help them become a better pro, I’m going to tell them.”

The Red Wings’ organization has been pleased with Cleary’s impact.

Cleary has been given a lot of credit for the development of Bertuzzi the past two seasons, helping Bertuzzi grow on and off the ice.

“He taught me a lot of things, what to expect and what to not expect,” Bertuzzi said last training camp, talking about Cleary’s veteran influence. “He was almost like a father figure.”

Even before the regular season began, coach Jeff Blashill liked the idea of a veteran like Cleary being around the Griffins.

Experienced? Cleary was a first-round draft pick in 1997 by the Chicago Blackhawks — or about eight months before the Red Wings’ June No. 1 draft pick and current Griffin, Dennis Cholowski, was born.

“There’s so many things they (young players) go through,” Blashill said. “He’s (Cleary) lived it. Dan Cleary has been through a lot of situations in hockey. He’s been at the top, he was a go-to player, been a third- and fourth-line player. He’s someone who can really help that situation.”

These days, nothing is as important to Cleary as making sure the Griffins make a long, successful run in the Calder Cup playoffs.

Grand Rapids advanced 4-1 in the best-of-seven Western Conference semifinal series with Chicago and will face the San Jose Barracuda in the conference finals, which start Saturday in San Jose.

“We have a good team, a talented team, and if we don’t win this series it would be a disappointment,” Cleary said. “I want to see this team reach all of its potential.”

Cleary isn’t thinking of playing next season. But what he’ll fill his time with, he doesn’t know yet.

Coaching, scouting, something in the front office — all of them have pros and cons, and all of them interest Cleary.

“I don’t know yet,” Cleary said of what next season holds.

But there is one thing.

“I want to be part of the Detroit Red Wings,” Cleary said. “That, I know, I love the Red Wings. I want to see the Red Wings succeed, and I want to help them succeed.

“That’s important for me.”

ted.kulfan@detroitnews.com

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