The Washington Capitals didn't have an offensive minded defenseman since the departure of Sergei Gonchar. This season, that all changed in the form of Mike Green. He played in all 82 games and racked up 56 points (18g, 38a).
His 18 tallies were tops among defenseman, a number of which were deadly accurate and unstoppable. Not only is his shot accurate, it's extremely powerful. Just ask Patrick Thoresen.
In game one of the Capitals opening round series against the Philadelphia Flyers, Thoresen blocked one of Green's slapshots. The shot broke his cup and nearly ruptured a testicle. We'll see how eager anyone is to get in front of that shot this season.
The playoffs didn't throw Green's game off what-so-ever. He put up seven points (3g, 4a) in the seven games Washington played against Philly before being eliminated.
I saw the talent when I first watched this guy at the beginning of the season. I just wasn't sure if he could perform on a regular basis because he would score two goals in a game, then you wouldn't hear his name in the next few matches.
As the season went on, his consistency improved and his play spoke for itself. Check out the goal he scored on January 1, 2008, against the Ottawa Senators, as he goes by a few Sens before roofing it on a helpless Martin Gerber.
Many more "roof special" goals came after that one, whenever Green got the chance to walk in on the goalie. "Game Over" eventually came to be Mike's nickname as he scored three overtime winners in the regular season.
Green's passing touch isn't as good as his scoring, but it's still pretty solid (the 38 assists show that). A powerplay regular, clutch scorer, hard shooting, tough defenseman, and the sky is the limit for this kid.
I wouldn't be surprised to see a Norris Trophy in his future years. If Mike can build of this career-season, the "green" should be coming his way in no time.
4 comments Last one added 11 months ago — Leave a Comment
Alan Bass 11 months ago
great article, rafal, green is indeed a great player, and i hope he is not just a one year wonder
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jay saar 11 months ago
nice article, very underated player led the NHL with the most game winning goals by a defensemen last year
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Nelson Santos 11 months ago
Rafal you are bang on. Mike Green is a true talent. Obviously season two is always the toughest but I see no reason why he would falter. He has great offensive instincts and playing the PP with offensively skilled players like Ovie and Semin can only help his totals.
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Jacob Mowat 11 months ago
Green is very good but if I had to pick the NHL's next Norris hog i'm going with Phanuf.
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