Mike Green, a two-time Norris Trophy finalist who starred alongside Alex Ovechkin and the Washington Capitals early in his career, has announced his retirement from the NHL after 15 seasons, according to The Athletic.
The 34-year-old defenceman spent his first 10 seasons with the Capitals, where he twice scored more than 70 points, posting 31 goals in 2008-09. He’s the only defenceman to score at least 30 goals in a season in the salary cap era.
“Being an athlete isn’t the only part of who I am,” Green said in an interview with The Athletic‘s Tarik El-Bashir. “I am a husband, father, son, brother, uncle. I’ve been very fortunate to turn my passion into my profession, but at this point in my life, I’m considering other things that I feel called to do.”
Green left the Capitals and signed with the Detroit Red Wings in the summer of 2015 and played five more seasons there. He was traded from Detroit to Edmonton at the most recent NHL trade deadline but only appeared in two games with the Oilers before the pandemic paused the season.
Green opted out of returning to the NHL with the Oilers this summer, saying he’s realized during the pandemic that there were things in his life that are more important than hockey.
“Through this whole thing, it’s sort of highlighted some things,” Green told El-Bashir. “That hockey was abruptly removed from my life, it was tough for a while. But as the future was more and more uncertain, I became more aware of the things that are now the big things in my life — like my daughter crawling and laughing, teaching my son to fish.
“These are things you think you’re present for, and you think you’re around for when you’re playing. But your mind as a professional athlete, a lot of times, is thinking about the big stage and performing.”
Green retires having played in 880 NHL games, scoring 150 goals and 501 points. Since he broke into the league in 2005-06, only 10 other defencemen have registered more points.
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