| Matt Greene | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 13, 1983 Grand Ledge, MI, USA |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight | 233 lb (106 kg; 16 st 9 lb) |
| Position | Defense |
| Shoots | Right |
| NHL team Former teams |
Los Angeles Kings Edmonton Oilers |
| National team | United States |
| NHL Draft | 44th overall, 2002 Edmonton Oilers |
| Playing career | 2005–present |
Matt Greene (born May 13, 1983) is an American professional ice hockey defenseman who currently plays for the Los Angeles Kings[1] of the National Hockey League. Greene currently serves as an alternate captain for Los Angeles.
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Greene was drafted in the 2nd 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 Fighting Sioux. In 2004–05, Greene captained the Sioux 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 pro contract with Edmonton and was assigned to their AHL farm team in Des Moines, the Iowa Stars. He made his NHL debut with the Edmonton Oilers on December 30, 2005 versus the Nashville Predators, and scored his first NHL point on January 25, 2006 in Anaheim, assisting on an Ales Hemsky 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 Oiler team that made a run to the Stanley Cup Finals. However, the Oilers lost in game 7 of the finals to the Carolina Hurricanes. Greene had 0 goals and 1 assist in the 2006 Playoffs.
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, bringing the score to 1–1. The Oilers would eventually score 2 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.
Greene and his Oiler teammate Jarret Stoll were traded to the Los Angeles Kings on June 29, 2008, in exchange for Kings defenseman Lubomir Visnovsky.[2] On October 8, 2008 he was named as an alternate captain of the Kings.[3] Nine days later, on October 17, Greene signed a five-year contract with the Kings.[4]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 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 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 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 | ||
| NHL totals | 379 | 7 | 40 | 47 | 569 | 30 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 48 | ||||
Played for the United States in:
| Year | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | WC | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | |
| 2008 | WC | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 38 | |
| 2010 | WC | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| Senior Int'l Totals | 20 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 48 | ||