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'Hold it high, do it for Newfoundland'

November 21, 2008 05:35 PM | Posted by   Scott Morrison - My Greatest Day  

There was a time in his career when Daniel Cleary was a man without a team. But he was never a man without a province and, most importantly, a family.

Cleary is the pride of his native Newfoundland, especially his hometown of Harbour Grace, and the entire province celebrated along with him on the night of June 4, 2008, when the Detroit Red Wings defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins, 3-2, to capture the Stanley Cup in six games.

Cleary became the first Newfoundlander ever to win the big prize.

“It is definitely my greatest day. To be honest, my previous greatest day - it was fun being drafted - was in 2007 when we beat Calgary and finally won a playoff round. But this certainly supercedes that. It’s so hard to put into words, just amazing. First, I can’t believe I did it. It’s such a long run; it’s not easy to win.

“Hoisting the Cup, getting it handed to me after Dallas Drake, is something I’ll never forget. Having the people that I care about the most there to celebrate meant everything. I saw the best of it in junior and then sunk to lows, tough times. I feel so proud to have come all this way back from the bottom when it looked like my career was over.”

About the Author
Scott Morrison is a 27-year veteran hockey journalist and recipient of the Hockey Hall of Fame's 2006 Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award. Scott appears on the Satellite Hot Stove each week on CBC's Hockey Night in Canada, as well as writing regularly for CBCSports.ca. Morrison has authored several hockey books and served two terms as President of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association.

About the Book
Ask 10 NHLers to describe their best moments in the game and you'll get 10 different answers. Ask 50 and you'll get Hockey Night in Canada: My Greatest Day. In this new book from veteran sportswriter and analyst Scott Morrison, 50 great hockey people - players and coaches, managers, referees, and even a decorated general in Canada's military - are asked to describe their greatest day in hockey. Featuring full-colour photography throughout, this 200 page book is sure to be a hit with hockey fans of all ages. Get it here


After NHL commissioner Gary Bettman handed the Cup to Red Wings’ captain Nicklas Lidstrom, Lidstrom passed it along to veteran Dallas Drake, who had waited 14 seasons to win. He then passed it to Cleary.

“I had no idea that was going to happen. I kind of had a feeling that Dallas would get it first. He’s a veteran guy and such a key component for us and a good person, and he had never won a Cup, so I knew he would get it. But I had no idea I was getting it after him. He just said, ‘Go, hold it high; do it for Newfoundland.’

“Drapes [Kris Draper] was kind of directing who was getting what and he said, ‘Clearsy, it’s your time, go take it.’ I’ll never forget it. I mean, what a feeling. It’s amazing. I had hurt my wrist and I knew it was heavy. I just wanted to make sure I could hoist it up. It’s what you dream about.

“When Drapes said this is your moment, when he said it to me, I was thinking about my family, people who were there when times were tough. I thought back to when I didn’t have a job and that isn’t easy. I knew where my family was sitting in the arena, so right away I went over there and when I lifted it up I said we did it, with some expletives, a couple of swear words in there, but we did it.”

On June 30, 2008, Cleary took the Cup back to his home province and hometown where he was mobbed by thousands of well-wishers.

“I really wanted the kids of Newfoundland to feel it, to see it, take pictures with it. I wanted to take it to the hospital for the kids, to give them inspiration and hope. Then I took it back to where I grew up and celebrated there, to let the people there realize dreams can come true, that if you work hard good things can happen.”

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