Chatting with Mike Green

4 Nov 2009

Mike Green, Nicklas Backstrom, Washington Capitals

Photo by Caps In Pictures

Last week I was fortunate enough to take part in a Podcast where Capitals’ defenseman Mike Green was put on the spot. VERSUS sponsored the call and joining me in the interview were members from some prominent hockey sites including On Frozen Blog and The Hockey Barn.

The audio can be found here (opens new window and my segment begins around the 10:50 mark). Below is the transcript of the questions I asked.

And. Here. We. Go…

Matt Leighton (The Hockey Writers): Over the past few months, you’ve established yourself on the web, via Twitter, Facebook, or your own site: GreenLife52.com. I think it’s a great way to stay close to your fans. What made you get involved in new media and are you trying to convince some of your teammates to do the same?

Mike Green: Yeah, definitely convincing teammates to try to do the same. You know it is a lot of work to keep up-to-date with it, but it’s important for the fans to be in touch with the players away from just seeing them on the ice and really getting to know what they do away from the rink.

But you know it helps the sport grow and helps the fans get in touch but I’m sure once other teammates see that it’s a good thing that they’ll do the same thing…Hopefully.

THW: You went to a Redskins game recently where you were on the sidelines and interviewing players in the locker room after the game. How did this opportunity come about and do you plan on interacting with Redskins players or other D.C. sports teams for that matter in the future?

Mike Green: Yeah, well we know quite a few of the players and they come to our games now and we definitely support them too and we got an opportunity to go down and interview them after one of their wins and it was exciting. It just goes to show that the athletes in Washington respect each other and that we can have some fun with it. Me and Backstrom did some interviews after one of the games.

THW: Yeah that was quite an ending to the video with you guys and it might have been the cheerleaders at the end of the video. I’m not too sure [they knew who they were talking to] (see: 6:25-6:50 of the video linked above).

Photo by Anna Armstrong

THW: What’s it like having Bob Woods, who coached you and a few of your teammates at the AHL level…What’s it like having him behind the bench in D.C.?

Mike Green: It’s been great. Obviously having Bob my first year, he really helped me develop to be a strong defenseman and learn the pro game really is what he helped me with. To have him here now, I feel like my game is getting better and better again. I have to contribute that to him for sure. But I know a lot of the other guys vouch for him too. He’s a great coach and he really knows what he’s talking about.

THW: Where are some of your favorite places to play? Calgary (Mike’s hometown) has got to be number one, if not up there. But what are some of the other arenas you look forward to playing in each year?

Mike Green: I would say Montreal. Hmm, where else?

THW: Madison Square Garden? Or some of the other Canadian cities, possibly?

Mike Green: Yeah Madison Square Garden is good or Toronto is alright. Anywhere in Canada is good to play.

Be sure to check out On Frozen Blog and The Hockey Barn for their take on the Podcast. Opportunities like these only come about once in a while so I owe a huge thanks to VERSUS for including me in this interview. I would also like to thank Mike Green for taking the time to answer my questions, he was a real pleasure to talk with.