When Alexander Ovechkin netted his fourth goal of the night in overtime to give Washington an exciting 5-4 win over Montreal on Thursday, it was obvious to all in attendance who the Capitals’ fan-favorite was; but there’s a new one emerging. <\/p>\n
Mike Green, arguably the game\u2019s most improved player, has become one of Washington\u2019s most talked about athletes. Green may not be considered the best player on his team, but he\u2019s developing quite a following.<\/p>\n
A quick glance at the crowd during a Capitals home-game will cement this theory. Red and white are still the most prominent colors being donned by the team\u2019s faithful, but there is also a smattering of green surrounding the glass at the Verizon Center. The obsessed faithful call themselves the \u201cGang Green.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI have no idea who started that or why, but it seems to be catching on quick and I\u2019d just like to thank those guys for their support,\u201d Green said after Washington\u2019s win Thursday. \u201cIt\u2019s kind of nice to have something like that. I get chirped at by the guys about it, but it\u2019s neat.\u201d<\/p>\n
The growing infatuation hockey fans in Washington have for their favorite team\u2019s 22-year-old defenseman makes sense. Green has become one of the league\u2019s top scoring-blue-liners, and in addition to being one of the hardest-working players on a young Capitals\u2019 team (average age of 27), he\u2019s also one of the team\u2019s most fan-friendly players.<\/p>\n
A day before helping Washington skate to a home victory over the Canadiens, Green was spending time with some of the team\u2019s most passionate fans at the ESPN Zone in downtown D.C.. The gathering featured a lengthy question-and-answer session in which fans were able to interact freely with Green. He then signed autographs for all of the folks who showed up. <\/p>\n
Wednesday marked the second of four scheduled player-fan gatherings at the ESPN Zone, with Donald Brashear and Green already having taken part in the event. Players are selected shortly before the meet-and-greet takes place, and with the growing admiration for Green in the nation\u2019s capital, his involvement was a no-brainer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe event was good because I got a chance to answer some questions and interact with the fans and we had a good vibe. There seemed to be a lot of people there, and I just hope that they enjoyed themselves and got to [better] understand one of their team\u2019s players.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite his efforts off of the ice, though, Green\u2019s status — which has risen to something of a folk hero in D.C. as he\u2019s helped Washington to re-emerge as a post-season contender over the past several weeks — as one of Washington\u2019s most revered players has more to do with his play this season than it does his off-ice endeavors.<\/p>\n
His 14 goals are tops in the league amongst defensemen and rank him second, behind only Ovechkin, on the team. He also ranks fourth on the Capitals in assists (with 17), and in points (31).<\/p>\n
As impressive as the Calgary native\u2019s totals are, they become more noteworthy when considering that just a year ago he mustered only two-goals and 12-points in 70-games. <\/p>\n
Having abruptly surfaced as one of his team\u2019s, and the game\u2019s, top young talents, Green\u2019s transformation into an elite player has taken place over the course of the entire season, but he\u2019s taken his most giant strides forward since Bruce Boudreau was named Washington\u2019s interim-coach. <\/p>\n
\u201cCoach\u2019s being around has definitely helped me and I think that being coached under Bruce in Hershey and winning a cup down there, I understand him and I know what his coaching is all about, and what he\u2019s all about,\u201d Green said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor me it was easy coming in here because he gave me a great opportunity to play lots of minutes, and to get out on the power play and do what I did in Hershey,\u201d Green added.<\/p>\n
The third-year Capital isn\u2019t the only member of the Washington organization who is attributing a great deal of his coming of age to Boudreau\u2019s promotion. George McPhee, the team\u2019s General Manager, and Olaf Kolzig, its goaltender, agree. <\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s comfortable with Bruce, and he\u2019s had success with Bruce in winning a Cup and I\u2019m sure that the comfort he has with him as a lot to do with it,\u201d McPhee said.<\/p>\n
Kolzig echoed the thoughts of both Green and McPhee, adding that, \u201cSince Bruce came in they\u2019ve unleashed the thoroughbred.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe maybe didn\u2019t play with as much confidence before,\u201d Kolzig said, \u201cbut because Bruce had him for a-year-and-half, he knew what \u2018Greenie\u2019 was all about and what he could bring to the table. He said \u2018go do it,\u2019 and he\u2019s taken his game to a whole new level.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Green has indeed taken his game to a higher level, and despite the fact that he\u2019s one of the game\u2019s most lethal defenseman on the attack, he still has work to do as a defender.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s done a really nice job. We were expecting him to do this last year and it took him a little bit longer than we thought. He had a great first year in Hershey, and won a cup, and now he\u2019s playing the way that we had hoped offensively. Like a lot of young guys, he still has to learn how to play better defensively, but that will come,\u201d said McPhee.<\/p>\n
Kolzig added that Green, \u201cStill has to learn some things on his own end defensively. He needs to be a little smarter.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cThat said though,\u201d Kolzig continued, \u201cWe haven\u2019t had a puck-moving defenseman like him since Sergei Gonchar. And for us to be successful from the point, we need that and he\u2019s providing it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Green\u2019s arrival on the national scene, as an elite enough player to draw comparisons to somebody as respected as Gonchar, didn\u2019t take place solely because of a coaching change. The Canadian defender has also worked harder in the past year than he ever had before. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just been about dedication,\u201d Green said. \u201cMy first couple of years I was watching guys and what they would do and how they would train. This summer was different. I dedicated myself to keeping focus through the season because the last couple years I realized that you can\u2019t just get away with sneaking through in this league. You have to dedicate yourself and focus.\u201d<\/p>\n
In addition to his incessant efforts in the weight room and during practice sessions, Green\u2019s modesty and low-key personality have also made him a hit with both his teammates and followers. His modesty was on display after Thursday night\u2019s game, when he wanted to make sure that a story being written about him, wasn\u2019t just about him. Doesn\u2019t make sense? It shouldn\u2019t. <\/p>\n
\u201cI have to give a lot of credit to the team and to my teammates,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s not just one or two guys doing well, it\u2019s everybody but it\u2019s just a couple of guys that are getting noticed.\u201d<\/p>\n
And these days, unlike in years previous, you don\u2019t have to be named Alex to be one of those players getting noticed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we\u2019re just scratching the surface with him, and as long as he doesn\u2019t read his own headlines too much, he\u2019s going to continue to improve,\u201d said Kolzig.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut we\u2019ve got a good enough group in here to keep him grounded, and he\u2019s a good kid. A special kid, and I\u2019m excited to see just how good he can be.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grant Paulsen is a nineteen-year old writer and broadcaster in Washington D.C. Check out Grant’s website or tune in XM radio to Channel 144 (Grant’s Sports Take \u2013 weekday mornings), and Channel 175 (Minors and Majors \u2013 Saturday 10:00am – noon). You can also check out his weekly column in the Sunday Edition of the Fredericksburg Freelance Star.<\/p>\n
Edit: This blog was archived in May of 2016 from our original articles database.It was originally posted by Grant Paulsen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"