Mike Green

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Green emerged as an elite offensive defenceman during the 2007–08 season, playing alongside forwards Alexander Ovechkin, Alexander Semin and Nicklas Bäckström. Play-by-play announcer Joe Beninati popularized his nickname "Game Over" after Green's knack for scoring game-winning goals. That year, he finished with four game-winning goals, an NHL-leading 18 goals among defencemen, and 56 points. His playoff run that spring was equally dramatic; on April 11, 2008, against the Philadelphia Flyers, Green scored two goals in the third period, but the Capitals ultimately lost 5–4. In Game 3 of that series, he recorded a Gordie Howe hat trick—a goal, an assist and a fight—in a 6–3 win. His signature "faux hawk" hairstyle also gained fame, leading to an Elliot in the Morning promotion called "Rawk the Hawk" where fans could get the haircut for playoff tickets.

In Their Own Story

In the 2008–09 season, Green set the NHL record for most consecutive games with a goal by a defenceman. On February 14, he scored in his eighth consecutive game, surpassing the previous record of seven held by Mike O'Connell from the 1983–84 season. Returning from an early-season injury, he captured back-to-back NHL Third Stars of the Week for the weeks ending February 1 and 8, 2009. His offensive surge continued until April 1, when against the New York Islanders, he became just the eighth defenceman in history to score 30 goals in a season, finishing with 31 total. He tallied 18 of those on the power play, coming one short of Sheldon Souray's 2006–07 record of 19. Later that April, Green was nominated for the James Norris Memorial Trophy alongside Zdeno Chára and Nicklas Lidström, marking his second nomination for the award. His powerful shot was feared league-wide; during a 2008 playoff game, a slapshot from the blue line blocked by Philadelphia's Patrick Thoresen broke Thoresen's protective cup and nearly ruptured a testicle, sending him to the hospital.

Reader's Guide

Green began his professional journey in 2005–06, splitting time between the Capitals and their AHL affiliate, the Hershey Bears. He scored his first career NHL goal against Ed Belfour of the Toronto Maple Leafs on February 3, 2006. Although he played 22 games for Washington that year, the 2006–07 season officially counted as his rookie campaign since he hadn't met the 25-game minimum previously; he registered three assists in the 2007 NHL YoungStars Game despite a bruised foot. His career high came in 2009–10 with 76 points. On July 1, 2008, he signed a four-year extension averaging $5.25 million per year, and on July 16, 2012, he added a three-year, $18.25 million contract. By the 2013–14 season, the emergence of John Carlson led to Green being demoted to Washington's second power play unit. In 2015, he joined the Detroit Red Wings on a three-year, $18 million deal, where he notched his first career hat trick on October 17, 2016, against Andrew Hammond of the Ottawa Senators. He was later traded to the Edmonton Oilers in February 2020 before announcing his retirement on August 26, 2020.

Did You Know?

• Green's slapshot during a 2008 playoff game ruptured a testicle of Philadelphia's Patrick Thoresen after hitting his protective cup, requiring hospitalization.
• He set the NHL record for consecutive games with a goal by a defenceman (8) in 2008–09, surpassing Mike O'Connell's previous record of 7.
• Green was named to the tournament All-Star team at the 2008 IIHF World Championship where Canada won a gold medal.
• He founded the charity "So Kids Can" with Elliot Segal in 2008, which raised over $200,000 and built the S.T.A.R.S playground in Alexandria, Virginia.
• In Game 3 of the 2008 playoffs against Philadelphia, Green recorded a Gordie Howe hat trick consisting of a goal, an assist, and a fight.