BIOGRAPHY

Daniel Cleary (born 18 December 1978 in Carbonear, Newfoundland) is a professional ice hockey winger playing for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League. On June 4, 2008, Cleary became the first player from Newfoundland and Labrador to get his name on the Stanley Cup when the Red Wings won hockey’s top prize.

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, as this was/is the location of the area’s only hospital, 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 which begun by scoring a hat trick in his very first game as an underage 16 year old. Although his performance tailed off in his draft year, 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.

In 2006–07 Cleary scored a career high 20 goals in 71 games. He repeated this accomplishment the next season, scoring 20 goals in 63 games.

On March 11, 2008, Cleary signed a 5 year contract extension with the Detroit Red Wings, worth $14 million.

On June 4, 2008, Cleary won the Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings as they beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 4 games to 2 in the Stanley Cup finals.

On June 30, 2008, Cleary brought the Stanley Cup home to Newfoundland. A packed lobby welcomed Cleary at the St. John’s International Airport. Later that day, Cleary brought the Cup to the Janeway Children’s Hospital.

On July 1, 2008, Cleary brought the Stanley Cup back to his hometown Harbour Grace, Newfoundland for a Canada Day celebration that included a parade and a concert. The event attracted an estimated 27,000 people. The event also attracted an estimated 103 individual media accreditations with media from across Canada and the United States landing in Harbour Grace to cover Dan Cleary’s story.