In the past week, Riley Sheahan lost a roommate and gained a linemate who also happens to be his roommate.
When the Detroit Red Wings assigned defenseman Brian Lashoff to AHL Grand Rapids late last week, it brought to an end, at least for the time being, the house-sharing triumvirate of Sheahan, Lashoff and Luke Glendening.
Around the same time, Detroit coach Mike Babcock put Glendening and Sheahan together with Stephen Weiss as a forward unit and something immediately clicked.
In four games together, the trio has combined for four goals and five assists. Glendening, who scored once in 56 games as an NHL rookie last season, has netted three of those four goals, including an empty-netter in Thursday’s 3-0 win at Colorado.
“It’s awesome,… Sheahan said of Glendening’s offensive spark. “It’s great to see. You kind of see a guy like that who works so hard and it’s kind of motivating to play with him. You want to work as hard as he can.
“It’s awesome that he’s getting some points, some scoring. He’s got a good touch around the net. It’s been fun playing with him.… Sheahan feels Glendening is the one who sets the tone for their line.
“He skates so well and forechecks so hard,… Sheahan said. “Every time he gets in the corner he comes out with the puck.
“Even in the offensive zone, when you can have a guy like that to get the puck and start a play, start some possession, it’s awesome. Then defensively he doesn’t make mistakes.
“It’s good playing with him.…
Glendening brings the same sort of leadership and direction when they are at home.
“He’s the responsible one of the group,… Sheahan said. “We have a cleaning lady but we try to keep it pretty tidy. He’s our ringleader who starts the cleaning. If we have to pay bills, he’s the one who reminds us.
“It’s nice because he definitely reminds me about other things that have to be done.…
Nothing comes easily for any player who makes it to the NHL. It’s a lot of hard work and sacrifice along the way, but in Glendening’s case, the journey he’s made as an undrafted free agent is even more impressive.
“You don’t really hear those stories very often,… said Sheahan, who was a first-round draft pick. “He’s worked so hard to get himself here. The effort he puts in on the ice after practice and then off the ice when he’s in here, like I said it’s motivating.
“When you have a guy like that on your team who can create all this energy it definitely helps a lot. He’s a leader and as a young guy looking up to different guys, I think he’s one of the key guys I watch and try match his work ethic.
“It’s pretty cool to see a guy like that have success.…
For Glendening, those humble roots and the long climb he was forced to make to get noticed help him to keep his nose to the grindstone.
“You’re still trying to prove yourself every night, at least I am,… Glendening said. “I’m just playing with confidence and I’m really excited to score.…
The one facet Glendening refuses to allow to become part of his game is satisfaction.
“I still have a long way to go,… Glendening said. “I’m happy things are going in the right direction but I think there’s still a lot of improvement to be made.…
Passing Fedorov Pavel Datsyuk’s assist on Darren Helm’s empty-net goal in Thursday’s win was his 555th as a Wing, which moved him past Sergei Fedorov and into fifth among the franchise’s all-time assist leaders.
“It doesn’t surprise me that he’s up there,… Detroit captain Henrik Zetterberg said. “He’s played here for a long time, producing a lot of points every year and also as a playmaker, setting up the other players, he’s one of the best in the league.
“Obviously it’s a big milestone for him, especially considering Fedorov is the guy he tied.
Datsyuk broke in with the Wings in 2001 and Fedorov was his mentor.
“When Pav came in, Sergei had been here for a long time and kind of took him under his wing, so it’s probably special,… Zetterberg said.
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