Bill Clement

The Capitals' Mike Green recently set an NHL record for defensemen by scoring a goal in eight consecutive games, breaking a mark set 25 years ago by Mike O'Connell of the Bruins.

But for Green, the bigger news is yet to come.

Green is soaring to new heights, and doing so in rapid fashion. This season he scored his 20th goal in 42 games. Only three other defensemen have scored that number of goals in 42 games or less. Their names: Bobby Orr, Paul Coffey, and Denis Potvin. For Green, that’s keeping the right kind of company.

No NHL defenseman has scored more than 26 goals in a season this decade. Green should get at least 30 goals this season, becoming the first rearguard to do that since Kevin Hatcher of the Capitals achieved the feat in the 1992-93 season. Hatcher, Orr, Potvin, Coffey, Phil Housley, Ray Bourque, and Doug Wilson are the only NHL defensemen to score 30 goals or more in a season.

With the kind of season Green is having, he’s sending a message to Detroit defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom. The Red Wings’ superstar has won the Norris Trophy six of the last seven seasons. The award is given to the blueliner, who demonstrates over the course of the season the greatest all-around ability at the position. When they hand out this hardware after this season, it’s going to Green, not Lidstrom.

The Capitals drafted Green in the first round (29th overall) in 2004. He broke into the NHL in 2005, but to me there weren’t signs he would emerge to become a rising star. He was a highly skilled player, who was a high-wire act defensively. He seemed to get lost in his own end as he could do flashy things offensively, but I wondered if he was going to be good enough defensively to stick in the league? He’s come a long way on defense, and he’s committed to becoming even better.

Green’s the No. 1 offensive defenseman in the NHL. He’s also the best defenseman on the power play. Defensively, he’s middle of the pack, but is working his way up.

It was about midway through last season that Green began coming on offensively. He opened a lot of eyes around the league with this transformation, and his breakout season finished with him leading all NHL defensemen in scoring with 18 goals.

A big part of Green’s significant improvement offensively has been Bruce Boudreau, who took over as Washington’s coach in November of 2007. A great comfort level has developed between Boudreau and Green, and that’s so important for athletes who are striving to take their game to the next level.

Before Boudreau, Green played for Glen Hanlon, who was a defense-first coach. Boudreau want his players to be good on both sides of the puck, but beyond that what he has done to elevate Green as an attacking player is show him a great deal of confidence, and give him a green light to make things happen offensively without fear of being criticized or benched.

The green light Boudreau has given his star 23-year-old defenseman is one where there is still a dedication to being responsible defensively. What Boudreau did to immensely help Green is explain to him what the green-light situations are, how to recognize them, and then he set him free to attempt to capitalize on them.

Green is bidding to finish in the top 10 in the NHL in plus/minus. There are those that will argue that a player’s plus-minus rating is a product of his team’s success, and there is some validity to that, but the change in Green’s numbers in this category are stark, and an indication of how much better a player he has become.

Two seasons ago, when the Capitals were not the caliber of team they are now, Green’s plus-minus rating was -10. Last year, he was +6, and through his first 45 games this season, he was +28. That’s a pretty remarkable climb.

Boudreau’s influence aside, looking at what’s behind Green’s emergence offensively, it starts with confidence and execution. His 18 goals last season were the most he has ever scored at any level of junior hockey or professional hockey. That performance created a great building block for his confidence, and when a player is brimming with confidence, his execution sharpens.

Execution is knowing when to make which play, a series of decisions to be made on every shift. And these decisions have to be made in milliseconds. Green’s decision-making is as good as there is in the NHL. When a player’s confidence is in place, the decisions seem instinctive. The confidence Green feels allows him to make use of all of the tools he has, and that makes him a real special player.

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