Matt Greene

For the American politician, see Matt Greene (politician).

Matt Greene
Greene with the Los Angeles Kings in November 2008
Born	(1983-05-13) May 13, 1983 (age 41) 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

Matthew George Greene (born May 13, 1983) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman. 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 has worked in the Kings' organization as a professional scout after retiring from playing.

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 North Dakota Fighting Sioux men's ice hockey team. In 2004–05, Greene captained The Fighting Sioux to the NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship game, losing to the University of Denver Pioneers, 4–1.^{[ citation needed ]}

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.^{[ citation needed ]}

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.^{[ citation needed ]}

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.^{[ citation needed ]}

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.^{[ citation needed ]}

Los Angeles Kings

Greene delivering a bodycheck to Daniel Sedin in April 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.^{[ citation needed ]}

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.^{[ citation needed ]}

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. As a consequence, he was stripped of his alternate captaincy due to the length of time he missed last season. 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]

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

Greene hoists the Stanley Cup as he celebrates with teammates during their 2012 Stanley Cup Finals victory.

Award	Year
USHL
Second All-Star Team	2002
NHL
Stanley Cup champion	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 February 11, 2019.
2. "Oilers acquire Visnovsky from L.A.; ship Stoll and Greene". TSN.ca. June 29, 2008. Retrieved March 9, 2009.
3. "Kings Announce Captains". LosAngelesKings.com. October 8, 2008. Retrieved October 18, 2008.
4. Evans, Simon; Ken Ferris (October 18, 2008). "Kings' Greene signs new five-year deal". Reuters . Retrieved October 18, 2008.
5. Matt Greene Goal. New Jersey 1 LA Kings 6. 2012 Stanley Cup Final.
6. Leahy, Sean (June 30, 2016). "Boll, Carle, Seidenberg among those set to be bought out". Yahoo . Retrieved June 30, 2016.
7. "Kings activate Greene in order to buy-out contract". LA Times . June 13, 2017. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
8. "Matt Greene: Joining Kings as scout". August 14, 2017.
9. "LA Kings win 2014 Stanley Cup". CBS Sports . June 14, 2014. Retrieved June 14, 2014.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com , or  Eliteprospects.com , or  Hockey-Reference.com , or  The Internet Hockey Database