The 32-year-old spent the first eight years of his NHL career playing for his childhood team roughly two hours away from his hometown in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Friday marks his first trip back to Detroit since signing with the Stars as a free agent in the offseason.
He's what you might call a "lunch pail" type of player - a guy that's dependable, reliable and consistent at what he does. It's what Stars head coach Rick Bowness loves about him.
"We love his character, work ethic and consistency," Bowness said Friday morning. "From a coaching perspective, there's no maintenance. He just shows up and goes to work. He's a character guy and a true pro. I'm glad he's on our team now and not Detroit."
Glendening has five goals and eight points in 37 games this season with Dallas, but with him it's not about the offense. The versatile forward brings so much more that might go unnoticed to the untrained eye.
"You look at the game last night, he made a huge shot block in the third period and all of a sudden we have a 4-on-2 rush we almost score on," Bowness said. "Taking the shot, eating the puck and getting some offense from it. We don't score, but even if we did, he wouldn't have gotten an assist. He started the whole play by blocking the shot. He's not going to put a lot of points on the board. That's not why he's here. He's here to do the little things to help us win. He does all those things that help you win games."
Though he's not big by NHL standards (5-11, 190 pounds), Glendening plays a fearless game. He can be a wrecking ball on any given shift or sacrifice his body at a moment's notice, and those types of plays don't go unnoticed by his teammates or coaches.
"He plays the game as hard as he can every shift," said Bowness. "He runs over guys, he takes hits to make plays and does all the little things to help the team win games that the coaches and teammates appreciate."
In a sense, he's almost like a set-it-and-forget-it kind of player. Shift to shift, you know what you're getting. At the same time, he's also the type of player you want when the game is on the line and your team needs to do work in the defensive zone.
"That's his role and that's how he survives in this league," Bowness said. "That's what makes him such an effective player because he just goes to work. He's been a huge impact. Great character, great teammate and a very consistent competitive guy. We can play him on right win or center. He's a great penalty killer. He brings an awful lot to this team. He was a great signing for us."
Glendening goes about his business off the ice in a quiet and unassuming manner. The same applies in the room, where Bowness says he uses his play on the ice to do the talking.
"He's a quiet guy who leads by example on the ice," Bowness said. "A lot of guys talk but don't back it up, but he doesn't say much. He just goes out and plays his heart out. Everyone respects him."
A true heart-and-soul kind of player, and a guy that's highly respected in the room. That's Luke Glendening.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Hockey League or Dallas Stars Hockey Club.
Kyle Shohara is the Digital Manager for DallasStars.com and writes about the Stars/NHL. Follow him on Twitter @kyleshohara.
