Matt Greene

Matthew George Greene (born May 13, 1983) is an American former professional ice hockey defenceman. Originally drafted in the second round, 44th overall, at the 2002 NHL Entry Draft by the Edmonton Oilers, he most notably served as an alternate captain for the Los Angeles Kings, with whom he won the Stanley Cup twice. Greene worked in the Kings' organization as a professional scout after retiring from playing.

For the American politician, see Matt Greene (politician).
Matt Greene
Greene in 2008
Born (1983-05-13) May 13, 1983
Grand Ledge, Michigan, U.S.
Height 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)
Weight 232 lb (105 kg; 16 st 8 lb)
Position Defense
Shot Right
Played for Edmonton Oilers
Los Angeles Kings
National team  United States
NHL Draft 44th overall, 2002
Edmonton Oilers
Playing career 2005–2017

Playing career

As a youth, Greene played in the 1997 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a minor ice hockey team from Kalamazoo, Michigan.[1]

Edmonton Oilers

Greene was drafted in the second round, 44th overall, by the Edmonton Oilers in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft. Prior to his professional career, he played for three seasons with the University of North Dakota. In 2004–05, Greene captained North Dakota to the NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship game, losing to the University of Denver Pioneers, 4–1.

Due to his talent, Greene was encouraged to leave college hockey after only three seasons to start a professional career. After a successful training camp with the Oilers prior to the 2005–06 season, Greene signed a professional contract with Edmonton and was assigned to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate in Des Moines, the Iowa Stars. He made his NHL debut with the Oilers on December 30, 2005, against the Nashville Predators, and scored his first NHL point on January 25, 2006, away against he Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, assisting on an Aleš Hemský goal.

Wearing sweater number 32 for the first 13 games of his NHL career, Greene changed to sweater number 2 on February 2, 2006, when the Oilers faced off against the Columbus Blue Jackets.

Greene was part of the Edmonton team that made a run to the Stanley Cup Finals, though the Cinderalla run eventually fell short after the Oilers lost in Game 7 to the Carolina Hurricanes. Greene contributed an assist in his team's playoff run.

Greene scored his first NHL goal on December 15, 2006, against Minnesota Wild netminder Manny Fernandez. The goal was scored in the third period of the game, evening the score at 1–1. The Oilers would eventually score two more goals, winning 3–1. Local Edmonton broadcaster Gene Principe awarded Greene the game puck during an interview session following the game. Greene also received the second star of the game due to his effort.

Los Angeles Kings
Greene delivering a bodycheck to Daniel Sedin in 2010

Greene and his Oiler teammate Jarret Stoll were traded to the Los Angeles Kings on June 29, 2008, in exchange for Kings defenseman Ľubomír Višňovský.[2] On October 8, 2008, he was named as an alternate captain of the Kings.[3] Nine days later, on October 17, he signed a five-year contract extension with the Kings.[4] In the 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs, Greene and the Kings won the Stanley Cup by beating the New Jersey Devils in six games. He scored the final goal of the 2012 Stanley Cup Finals in the Kings' 6–1 Game 6 triumph.[5]

Injuries limited Greene to only five games during the 2012–13 season, a campaign that saw the Kings fail to defend their Stanley Cup title, losing to the eventual champion Chicago Blackhawks in five games in the Western Conference Finals.

On June 13, 2014, Greene and his Kings teammates defeated the New York Rangers in Game 5 of the 2014 Stanley Cup Finals 3–2 in double overtime, securing his and the team's second Stanley Cup in three years. He was then resigned to a 4-year, $10 million contract.

On June 30, 2016, Greene was placed on unconditional waivers by the Kings for the purpose of buying out the final two years of his contract, following a season where the defenseman played only three games due to a shoulder injury, picking up no points and eight penalty minutes. He was however not bought out from his contract and remained with the team for the duration of the 2016–17 season.[6]

Again limited to injury and back surgery, Greene featured in just 26 games for a goal and assist. In the following off-season he was activated from the injured reserve to be bought out from the remaining year of his contract on June 13, 2017.[7]

On August 14, 2017, Greene joined the Kings as a pro scout, ending his playing career.[8]

Personal life

Greene married Alyssa Miller in 2013. The couple reside in Hermosa Beach, California with their two children.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2000–01 US NTDP U18 USDP 34 0 9 9 8 — — — — —
2000–01 US NTDP Juniors USHL 20 0 1 1 51 — — — — —
2001–02 Green Bay Gamblers USHL 55 4 20 24 150 7 0 1 1 31
2002–03 University of North Dakota WCHA 39 0 4 4 135 — — — — —
2003–04 University of North Dakota WCHA 40 1 16 17 86 — — — — —
2004–05 University of North Dakota WCHA 41 2 8 10 126 — — — — —
2005–06 Iowa Stars AHL 26 2 5 7 47 — — — — —
2005–06 Edmonton Oilers NHL 27 0 2 2 43 18 0 1 1 34
2006–07 Edmonton Oilers NHL 78 1 9 10 109 — — — — —
2007–08 Edmonton Oilers NHL 46 0 1 1 53 — — — — —
2007–08 Springfield Falcons AHL 1 0 0 0 2 — — — — —
2008–09 Los Angeles Kings NHL 82 2 12 14 111 — — — — —
2009–10 Los Angeles Kings NHL 75 2 7 9 83 6 0 1 1 0
2010–11 Los Angeles Kings NHL 71 2 9 11 70 6 0 0 0 14
2011–12 Los Angeles Kings NHL 82 4 11 15 58 20 2 4 6 12
2012–13 Los Angeles Kings NHL 5 0 1 1 8 9 0 2 2 6
2013–14 Los Angeles Kings NHL 38 2 4 6 47 20 0 4 4 16
2014–15 Los Angeles Kings NHL 82 3 6 9 54 — — — — —
2015–16 Los Angeles Kings NHL 3 0 0 0 8 — — — — —
2016–17 Los Angeles Kings NHL 26 1 1 2 19 — — — — —
NHL totals 615 17 63 80 663 79 2 12 14 82

International
Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2001 United States WJC18 6th 6 0 1 1 10
2003 United States WJC 4th 7 0 1 1 34
2007 United States WC 5th 7 0 2 2 6
2008 United States WC 6th 7 0 0 0 38
2010 United States WC 13th 6 0 1 1 4
Junior totals 13 0 2 2 44
Senior totals 20 0 3 3 48

Awards and honors
Award Year
USHL
Second All-Star Team 2002
NHL
Stanley Cup (Los Angeles Kings) 2012, 2014 [9]
International
WC Top 3 player on Team 2010

References
  1. "Pee-Wee players who have reached NHL or WHA" (PDF). Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. 2018. Retrieved 2019-02-11.
  2. "Oilers acquire Visnovsky from L.A.; ship Stoll and Greene". TSN.ca. 2008-06-29. Retrieved 2009-03-09.
  3. "Kings Announce Captains". LosAngelesKings.com. 2008-10-08. Retrieved 2008-10-18.
  4. Evans, Simon; Ken Ferris (2008-10-18). "Kings' Greene signs new five-year deal". Reuters. Retrieved 2008-10-18.
  5. Matt Greene Goal. New Jersey 1 LA Kings 6. 2012 Stanley Cup Final.
  6. Leahy, Sean (2016-06-30). "Boll, Carle, Seidenberg among those set to be bought out". Yahoo. Retrieved 2016-06-30.
  7. "Kings activate Greene in order to buy-out contract". LA Times. 2017-06-13. Retrieved 2017-06-13.
  8. https://www.cbssports.com/fantasy/hockey/news/matt-greene-joining-kings-as-scout/
  9. "LA Kings win 2014 Stanley Cup". CBS Sports. 2014-06-14. Retrieved 2014-06-14.
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