Danny Cleary was born on December 18th, 1978 in St. John’s. Danny grew up in Riverhead, NL and attended Randy Pearcey’s hockey school in the summer months. While Cleary currently owns his own summer hockey school that he operates in the province, Danny’s three nephews (Nolan, Ewan and Graham) attend Xtreme Hockey. Cleary also made a dressing room appearance on an Xtreme travel team trip in 2014.
Danny grew up playing minor hockey in the CBN Minor system, but moved away at the age of 15 to pursue his hockey dreams. Cleary played Junior ‘A’ as a 15 year old, and in the OHL for the Belleville Bulls from ages 16 to 19. Cleary is the only Newfoundland-born hockey player to be drafted in the first round of the NHL draft (13th overall, Chicago).
Cleary played with 3 NHL teams (Arizona, Chicago, Edmonton) before finding a permanent home with the Detroit Red Wings. Cleary played 10 seasons in Motown, and was the first Newfoundlander to win the Stanley Cup in 2008.
While Cleary’s playing career is currently up in the air, it is safe to assume that his career has been a huge success. Cleary’s impact on the game of hockey in Newfoundland will be remembered for generations to come.