The summer of 2010 was an admittedly difficult one for Washington Capitals star Mike Green, after another disappointing performance in the Stanley Cup playoffs. He told reporters that he was so emotionally drained after the team's first-round loss to Montreal that he saw sports psychologists in order to "mentally prepare himself to play in the playoffs."
However, the playoffs weren't the first time that he'd been criticized for his defensive play, as he was left off of the 2010 Canadian Olympic team, despite being second in Norris Trophy voting for the past two seasons. Steve Yzerman, the Canadian team's General Manager, expressed concern at the time about Green's play in his own end, and most assumed that's why Green was passed over for the squad.
Fast forward to this season. Green, after overcoming an early nagging injury, has been the Capitals' best defenseman—at both ends of the ice.
He has been a key member of the Capitals penalty-kill unit, which has improved drastically from a year ago, rising from 25th in the league to eighth.
Additionally, Green has been asserting himself more in the d ...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NHL
Article written by Ryan Davenport
Mike Green: Leading By Example At Both Ends of the Rink
November 10th, 2010 by Ryan Davenport Leave a reply »
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