The 5 Most Underrated Detroit Red Wings in 2015-2016
By John Curran
Apr 4, 2015; Saint Paul, MN, USA; Detroit Red Wings forward Luke Glendening (41) against the Minnesota Wild at Xcel Energy Center. The Red Wings defeated the Wild 3-2 in a shootout. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
#2: Luke Glendening
Luke Glendening isn’t an “underrated” player to fans of the Detroit Red Wings (if he is, shame on you), but rather I feel that Glendening is an underrated Red Wing to the rest of the NHL/hockey-loving fan-base who are only familiar with the Datsyuks and Zetterbergs of the world.
What’s not to love about Luke Glendening? He’s an undrafted, gritty, hard-working player with an uncanny ability to score off backhanded goals. Luke’s style of play made him a favorite of both Mike Babcock and Detroit fans alike last season. Glendening is a blue-collar spark plug that possess all the qualities you would want in a fourth-line grinder.
Last season with the Red Wings, Luke played in all 82 regular-season games, netting a career-best 12 goals and 6 assists. He was also extremely important in Detroit’s first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Aside from having two goals in the series against Tampa, Luke was crucial in shutting down the dynamic Tyler Johnson and his line. Had Glendening not been forced to leave late in the game during Game 4, it’s very possible that Detroit may have eliminated the Lightning.
Tampa coach Jon Cooper had some high-praise for Luke during the first-round series by saying;
"“I don’t know how to describe him. He’s an extremely responsible player, and there’s not a lot of guys out there like the Glendenings. He’s done a heck of a job on our guys.”"
Next: #1: The Salt & Peppered Grinder