Defenseman to appear on ‘MTV Cribs’ episode
Capitals defenseman Mike Green has officially made the leap. No, he hasn’t reached the cultural heights of teammate Alex Ovechkin. A public appearance by Green will draw a crowd, not a mob scene.
But he is young — still just 23 for a few more days — with an interest in cars, design, fashion and music. He is also one of the NHL’s elite scoring defensemen with 31 goals last season and 73 points. And it is that flair — both on and off the ice — that makes him a popular figure in areas far beyond Washington, D.C.
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Earlier this month, Green even filmed an episode of “MTV Cribs,” a program that has shown off the lavish lifestyles of athletes and entertainers for almost a decade. Only two other hockey players have ever appeared on the show.
goalie Jason Bacashihua, defenseman Patrick McNeill and forwards Francois Bouchard, Steve Pinizzotto and Andrew Joudrey.
Such celebrity status is new to Green, an admitted blue-collar kid from Calgary, Alberta. A little over four years ago he was finishing up a junior hockey season in Saskatoon and getting ready to turn pro. Three years ago he was starting his first full NHL season, enduring the ups and downs typical of a 21-year-old rookie.
Now? He’s in the second year of a four-year, $21 million contract. Last season he scored the most goals by an NHL defenseman since 1993. Green also set a league record for defensemen when he notched a goal in eight consecutive games last winter and he ended up as a Norris Trophy finalist.
But with those accomplishments comes pressure. And Green struggled to balance that during the Caps’ two postseason series. He seemed lethargic at times, incapable of taking over games as he had during the regular season. Injuries and illness were a big reason why.
But Green took some hits from critics who thought a better performance would have lifted the Caps over the eventual Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round.
“When you don’t perform up to your abilities you should be [scrutinized],” said Green, who overhauled his conditioning program in the offseason.
“The way things went during the regular season compared to the playoffs, I was asking myself the same questions. But you live and you learn and you move on — as a player and as a person. You just make sure you don’t make the same mistakes.”
