Daniel Cleary

Daniel Cleary
Born	(1978-12-18) December 18, 1978 Carbonear, NL, CAN
Height	6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
Weight	210 lb (95 kg; 15 st 0 lb)
Position	Right Wing
Shoots	Left
NHL team Former teams	Detroit Red Wings Phoenix Coyotes Edmonton Oilers Chicago Blackhawks
NHL draft	13th overall, 1997 Chicago Blackhawks
Playing career	1998–present

Daniel Cleary (born 18 December, 1978 in Carbonear, Newfoundland and Labrador) is a professional ice hockey winger playing for the Detroit Red Wings . He was selected in the first round of the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, 13th overall, by the Chicago Blackhawks. A common mistake made by announcers during NHL games is saying Cleary is from Carbonear, Newfoundland. Cleary was born in Carbonear, but he was raised in a nearby town called Harbour Grace, in a section of the town called Riverhead.

Cleary had a phenomenal junior career with the Belleville Bulls of the OHL, although his performance tailed off in his draft year. Nevertheless, Chicago still selected him midway through the first round. Just one year removed from junior, Cleary was dealt to the Edmonton Oilers as part of a package that landed Boris Mironov in Chicago.

Cleary played parts of four seasons in Edmonton. Cleary's $1 million contract was bought out by the Oilers in the summer of 2003. Shortly thereafter, he was signed to a much cheaper contract by the Phoenix Coyotes. He played in Sweden during the 2004-05 NHL lockout. Following the lockout, Phoenix did not offer Cleary a qualifying contract. Cleary was invited to the Detroit Red Wings training camp, and he made the team.

During the 2006-07 NHL playoff quarterfinals against Calgary, Cleary successfully converted a penalty shot while shorthanded; this was the first time it had been done in Detroit during the playoffs. Cleary also stamped his name on the 2007 Western Conference Final against Anaheim by scoring a pair of goals and an assist in Game 4.

He and his wife Jelena have a daughter, Elle.

Career statistics

				Regular Season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1994-95	Belleville Bulls	OHL		62	26	55	81	62		16	7	10	17	23
1995-96	Belleville Bulls	OHL		64	53	62	115	74		14	10	17	27	40
1996-97	Belleville Bulls	OHL		64	32	48	80	88		6	3	4	7	6
1997-98	Belleville Bulls	OHL		30	16	31	47	14		10	6	17	23	10
1997-98	Indianapolis Ice	IHL		4	2	1	2	6		-	-	-	-	-
1997-98	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL		6	0	0	0	0		-	-	-	-	-
1998-99	Portland Pirates	AHL		30	9	17	26	74		-	-	-	-	-
1998-99	Hamilton Bulldogs	AHL		9	0	1	1	7		3	0	0	0	0
1998-99	Chicago Blackhawks	NHL		35	4	5	9	24		-	-	-	-	-
1999-00	Hamilton Bulldogs	AHL		58	22	52	74	108		5	2	3	5	18
1999-00	Edmonton Oilers	NHL		17	3	2	5	8		4	0	1	1	2
2000-01	Edmonton Oilers	NHL		81	14	21	35	37		6	1	1	2	8
2001-02	Edmonton Oilers	NHL		65	10	19	29	51		-	-	-	-	-
2002-03	Edmonton Oilers	NHL		57	4	13	17	31		-	-	-	-	-
2003-04	Phoenix Coyotes	NHL		68	6	11	17	42		-	-	-	-	-
2004-05	Mora IK	SEL		47	11	26	37	138		-	-	-	-	-
2005-06	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		77	3	12	15	40		6	0	1	1	6
2006-07	Detroit Red Wings	NHL		71	20	20	40	24		18	4	8	12	30
NHL Totals				477	64	103	167	257		34	5	11	16	46

Stats as of the end of the 2007 Stanley Cup Playoffs

External links

• red_wings player profile at TSN.ca
• Daniel Cleary career statistics at The Internet Hockey Database
• A Video Showing Cleary's Skill at Penalty Shots