It was a season to forget for Detroit Red Wings forward Danny Cleary, his knee gave him troubles late into it going into the playoffs. The Wings were jettisoned in the first round by the Nashville Predators and only then did he admit that he needed to get knee surgery.
Fortunately, the surgery is now done with and the Tuesday operation went well. According to general manager Ken Holland, Cleary's road to recovery should see him back on the team by training camp.
General manager Ken Holland told the Free Press that the surgeon "removed floating debris and repaired torn cartilage."
Cleary said as early as March he'd need surgery in the postseason after his knee got progressively worse after first acting up in November. Cleary had to undergo regular treatments to drain fluid buildup and received injections of a gel substance to offset bone grinding on bone late in the season. He also got a large dose of anti-inflammatory before the playoffs began.
The 33 year old should have a better season in 2012/2013 if he's healthy than he did while injured most of last season. He only managed 33 points in the 75 games he played in, with only 12 goals among those. He had zero points in the playoffs before the Wings exited and he was forced to have the surgery.
More on Danny Cleary and the Detroit Red Wings can be found over at Winging It In Motown. More news and analysis on the NHL in general can be found over at SB Nation's dedicated NHL hub.