It isn’t a popular path to choose when you suggest that Luke Glendening is a valuable Detroit Red Wing. To those who prefer to watch their hockey on a spreadsheet instead of a sheet of ice, Glendening is all kinds of bad news. To the people who earn their living at the game alongside Glendening, they’d much rather do it with him than without him. That’s because much of what he brings to the ice can’t necessarily be measured analytically, but in the eye test conducted by his teammates, they measure what Glendening does on the ice in glowing terms. “He’s not a guy that gets talked about a lot, but he means so much to this team,… Detroit goaltender Jimmy Howard said. “He means so much to everyone in this dressing room.… During Tuesday’s 5-4 shootout win over the Philadelphia Flyers, the victory that ended Detroit’s eight-game losing skid, during the overtime session while killing a penalty, Glendening laid out to block a shot that hurt his foot so badly, he couldn’t play another shift. It was one of three shots he blocked on the night. Glendending also scored a shorthanded goal, his ninth goal of the season, and won 10 of 13 faceoffs. “He does that night in and night out for us,… Howard said of the blocked shots and faceoff work. “And he scored a great goal.… We hear you, though. Your calculations tell you that you don’t want Glendening on your team, and that’s OK. Glendening has grown accustomed to being unwanted. Cut in junior, he made the NCAA Michigan Wolverines as a walk on, and was team captain by his senior year. Undrafted and with no NHL offers, he signed an AHL contract with Detroit’s Grand Rapids farm club. “I just gave a talk to the best young 14-year-olds in Michigan last night,… Detroit coach Jeff Blashill said. “What I always talk about with young people, with anybody, is inner drive and perseverance. Those to me are the two biggest factors in individual success, whether it’s sports or business or life or anything. “I don’t know if anybody exemplifies that more than him. He’s got the inner drive to wake up every day and do everything absolutely possible to be great, not just when a coach is watching but no matter who’s watching. “The perseverance he’s shown throughout his career - I didn’t want him on my Indiana Ice team in the USHL, so he went to prep school and found his way to being captain at Michigan. I didn’t want him on my Grand Rapids Griffins team right away, I sent him to Toledo. He found his way to demand that he was back with us. “Mike Babcock talked about maybe having him as the fourth line center (in Detroit). At that time Glenny was 45 percent in the circle. Glenny and I talked. ‘You can’t go up (to the NHL) as a fourth-line center (at 45 percent),’ I told him The next thing you know, he’s 55 percent in the circle. I can’t say enough things about what he exemplifies in those two areas. That’s the type of people that have success, people with inner drive and perseverance.… Babcock desperately tried to pry Glendening away from the Wings at the trade deadline. The Dallas Stars also expressed interest in acquiring him. The Wings are glad GM Ken Holland didn’t listen to the offers. “He does all the little things right,… left-winger Justin Abdelkader said of Glendening. “He blocks shots, is really good on faceoffs. He’s a great asset to the team, a good person in the locker room to have as a good teammate. “He just brings every type of element you want in a hockey player.… It may not add up in your eyes, but it does to the people who truly matter, those who count on Glendening the most. Follow me on Twitter @asktheduffer
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