Daniel Cleary thinks the players will overwhelming support vote to give the NHLPA's board the authority to file a disclaimer of interest. Cleary even said that if less than 99.8% of the players vote in favor of the measure, then he'd be disappointed. The players agreeing to giving the board that power would be another step towards dissolving the union. These actions could pressure the two sides into ending the lockout, but it's also possible that this is the start of a long court battle, the outcome of which might fundamentally change the way the NHL operates.

If the players sign a new CBA soon and there's a lockout shortened season, Daniel Cleary knows those in Europe and the AHL will have an advantage. "Anybody who is playing is going to be at an advantage, for sure," said Cleary. "You can't duplicate the game speed. It'll take some time for guys who haven't played to get up to speed." It's something to remember if you end up drafting a fantasy team in December or January. Those that have already gotten a significant chunk of playing time in a league over the lockout should be taken before otherwise comparable players who only attended practices.

Daniel Cleary thinks that the two sides need to agree to a new CBA deal by Jan. 15 if the season is to be saved. "Let's hope for (a) Jan. 1 (start)," Cleary said. "It's starting to wear now. It's getting so groundhog-ish. Skating every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. If nothing is going on by Jan. 15, that would be for me an end-all. It has to be. I know they canceled Feb. 16 last time, but it's not fathomable to have a season at that point. You can't have a 35-game season." NHL commissioner Gary Bettman would seem to agree. Although he hasn't given a specific date of no return, he has suggested that a season must be at least 48 games long for it to be viable. If Cleary's projection is right, then both sides have roughly a month to get something done.

Danny Cleary, Shawn Horcoff, and Steve Ott have organized a charity game for Saturday. It's estimated that 35-40 locked-out players will participate, with a good chunk of them being Detroit Red Wings. The event is set to take place in Windsorƒ?Ts WFCU Centre. The game will be raising funds for SPARKLES From Above, which supports children with cancer.

Daniel Cleary attended Wednesday's CBA meeting. The players presented the owners with a new CBA offer, which was ultimately rejected by the league. "It didn't go well," Cleary said. "We pretty much agreed on everything, except stuff that matters. A lot of players today are extremely upset about this." Cleary isn't sure where the players will go from this point. We will probably get another round of game cancelations before the week is over.

Daniel Cleary is "cautiously optimistic" now that the CBA talks have picked up again. "There is a lot optimism to be sure," said Cleary. "Any time Steve (Fehr, players association executive assistant) and Bill (Daly, NHL deputy commissioner) are saying the same thing, it's a positive thing. For sure there's some optimism, there's some light." At the same time, Cleary also thinks that these next two weeks will be critical if the 2012-13 campaign is to be salvaged.

Daniel Cleary is disappointed in the fact that there has yet to be a deal between the NHL and NHLPA. "It was disappointing on September 15 when there wasn't a deal done," Cleary said. "It's disappointing, frustrating, all those things. Then the first (round of cancellations) happened, and now the second. You don't know what to say or do." Cleary was cleared by doctors on Oct. 8 after undergoing knee surgery in the off-season, so he is now locked out with the rest of the healthy hockey players in the NHL.

Daniel Cleary (knee) has been cleared by doctors to play. The significance of this is that Cleary will now not be allowed to be paid by the Red Wings. Players who were injured in the NHL before the start of the lockout were entitled to be paid by their respective NHL teams but once they have been cleared by the medical staff, then they become locked out players. Cleary suffered through an injury-plagued 2011-12 season in which he had only 33 points after a 46 point campaign the previous year.

As the NHL lockout drags on, Detroit's Daniel Cleary finds himself both bored and hurting. "I miss that so much," Cleary said. "It's a weird feeling not having that routine of going to the rink every day, getting in that routine. We're such creatures of habit, you miss getting up early and seeing the guys, missing the competitiveness and getting on the ice and getting ready for the season. It hurts." Cleary, a co-player representative along with Niklas Kronwall with the Wings, is headed to Vail, Colo., next week for high-intensity workouts with players such as Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh), Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay) and John Tavares (N.Y. Islanders).

Daniel Cleary envisions the lockout dragging on for a while unless the league makes a move. "So someone has to move. And I don't see it coming from our end," he said. "We've given them a couple of good options that they can work with, and they, obviously, feel it's not good enough. We're at a stalemate, I guess you can say. We're stuck in the middle right now." Cleary also offered a gloomy viewpoint that the lockout could last a year or longer.