There’s not a glue guy in every corner, just like there’s not a superstar in every corner, just like there’s not a No.
Two years ago, the Tampa Bay Lightning acquired two such players in Blake Coleman from the New Jersey Devils on Feb.
“I’m not sure everyone out there understands it and I’m not sure if you can truly appreciate how important it is in the locker room unless you’ve been in it,” Winnipeg Jets GM Kevin Cheveldayoff said.
Inevitably on teams that become very close, there’s always that one guy that just kind of brings everybody together, makes you laugh, makes you serious, holds you accountable.
If you don’t score a lot and all of a sudden you start letting your check go or you can’t chip it out, you’re not going to be a glue guy very long.
“That’s why I was lucky enough to win because I was teammates with a ton of those guys, that enjoyed the challenge of the hard parts of the game,” he said.
“Looking to some of those teams, a guy like Ken Daneyko pops to mind pretty quick.
Daneyko said he was flattered by Niedermayer’s praise.
It’s been more than 18 years since he’s retired but Daneyko has gained an even better understanding of how glue guys add to the dressing-room equation.
“They were glue guys, guys you just knew when you needed something, a change in momentum, in tempo or from a big hit or a blocked shot … they all brought an element,” he said.
“I respect Tampa Bay for first banging their head against the wall with all those stars and then getting swept by Columbus in that record year.
Bowness has been part of the NHL since he was a forward selected in the second round by the Atlanta Flames in the 1975 NHL Draft and made his debut for the Flames against the Philadelphia Flyers on Dec.
You need those third- and fourth-line guys who have carried the team in terms of work ethic and consistency, you need those guys to come up big.
“They know they’re not the most skilled guys on the team, so they have to make up for it with conditioning, hard work and preparation.
NHL, the NHL Shield, the word mark and image of the Stanley Cup, Center Ice name and logo, NHL Conference logos, NHL Winter Classic name, and The Biggest Assist Happens Off The Ice are registered trademarks and the Stanley Cup Playoffs logo, Stanley Cup Final logo, Stanley Cup Qualifiers name and logo, NHL.TV, Vintage Hockey word mark and logo, The Game Lives Where You Do, NHL Winter Classic logo, NHL Heritage Classic name and logo, NHL Stadium Series name and logo, NHL All-Star logo, NHL Face-Off name and logo, NHL Premium, NHL After Dark, NHL GameCenter, NHL GameCenter LIVE, NHL Network name and logo, NHL Tonight name and logo, On The Fly, NHL Network Showdown name and logo, NHL Awards name and logo, NHL Draft name and logo, NHL Mascots, Hockey Fights Cancer, Because It’s The Cup, NHL Green name and logo, NHL Vault, Hockey Is For Everyone, NHL Thanksgiving Showdown name and logo, NHL Centennial Classic name and logo, NHL Centennial Season logo, NHL100 Classic name and logo, NHL Global Series name and logo, NHL China Games name and logo, NHL Power Players name and logo, NHL Outdoors at Lake Tahoe name and logo, NHL Street name and logo, and Don’t Miss A Moment are trademarks of the National Hockey League.
