By Max Bultman

Special to Detroit Free Press

GRAND RAPIDS – At age 37, Daniel Cleary has seen pretty much everything in hockey.

He has won a Stanley Cup as a member of the Detroit Red Wings. He has represented Canada at the IIHF world championship. He has even fought 6-foot-6 Chris Pronger — no small feat for a man standing 6-feet-nothing.

Now, though, he’s back in the AHL, playing for the Grand Rapids Griffins amid a Calder Cup playoff run. And on a roster filled with young NHL prospects, his experience is an asset that can’t be overstated.

On Tuesday night, Cleary and the Griffins came back from 4-1 deficit to beat Lake Erie, 5-4, and stave off elimination in the Central Division finals.

Cleary, no stranger to playoff runs from his long career with the Red Wings, didn’t make a splash on the box score. His contributions were smaller and subtler.

“Once we went up, Danny was called upon to be out there in the last minute to block some shots — he made a huge block,” Griffins coach Todd Nelson said. “And that’s what a good veteran does. He provides leadership in the room but also leads by example.”

Even with young legs aplenty on the bench, Nelson went to the 37-year-old to protect a lead in the final minute of an elimination game. That should speak to the trust the veteran has earned this season in Grand Rapids, even despite not tallying a point so far in the playoffs.

Cleary has been in such high-pressure situations, and he proved again Tuesday that he’s still willing to risk his body to protect a lead. That speaks to why Cleary is even in Grand Rapids right now. He could have retired when he was assigned to the Griffins in October, going out in the NHL rather than playing a season in the minors. In fact, he did not immediately agree to report to Grand Rapids. But he wanted to keep playing, so he did. And the playoffs are where that decision pays off most.

Red Wings' Andreas Athanasiou extends Griffins' AHL playoffs run

“I mean everyone, even if you’re 22 or 37, it’s the playoff time, it is the most enjoyable,” Cleary said. “This has been a great thing. I’m so, so happy that I got to come down and play here. Got to meet friends for a lifetime. And future Red Wings. We’ve got future Red Wings here. Big time. And just to help them out a bit with the pro game, about being professional and taking care of yourself, and little things on the ice.

“I’ve seen so much growth from the young players. It’s been great.”

For his teammates, the feeling is mutual.

“He’s been a great presence,” said Griffins forward Anthony Mantha, one of the future Red Wings that Cleary spoke of. “Obviously a lot of leadership. ... He leads by talking a lot, that’s for sure. Between periods he’s going to talk to everyone, pretty much, and just give them a quick heads-up on this play or that play and what to do.”

When Tyler Bertuzzi spoke to the media after Tuesday’s game, he wore a hat reading “Danny Cleary Hockey School,” a nod to the developmental camps Cleary puts on.

But this season, some of the Griffins have gotten a different kind of Danny Cleary Hockey School — an up-close look at how a long-time NHLer approaches a season back in the minor leagues, whether it’s blocking shots or giving advice.

With the Griffins trailing their series 3-1, it seems unlikely school will be in session much longer, at least for this season. But the lessons will remain. And they don’t go just one way.

“I think, when he first came here, he didn’t really know what to expect from our group,” Nelson said. “But bottom line is he’s having a lot of fun. ... The guys have taken him into their family, and I think that’s the biggest thing.”