Career Retrospective: Andy Greene

Andy Greene didn't know if he would ever appear in an NHL game.

He certainly had no idea he'd end up playing over 1,000 of them.

But he was convinced of one thing: If he got an opportunity, he would capitalize on it.

"It didn't matter where I was at in my career: high school, junior hockey, college, or once I got to the pros. I always believed in myself that if they gave me the chance, I was going to take hold of it and run with it. That's what I always did at every step along the way," Greene said. Andy Greene playing for New Jersey

"I'd be lying if I said I believed I could get to 1,000 games…If I could carve out a decent career, I would have been happy with that. But I knew if I could get one game, I could turn that into five or 10 and then it could snowball from there."

The result: A professional career that spanned 16 NHL seasons and 1,057 regular-season appearances. Greene retired on Oct. 12 with 264 points to his credit, along with one of the longest games-played streaks in New Jersey Devils franchise history (350 games).

Greene, who represented the United States in the 2010 IIHF World Championships, also participated in 90 NHL playoff games and was part of the Devils' 2012 conference champion team. He was named New Jersey's captain in 2015 and played 14 of his 16 seasons for the Devils.

"To be looked upon as one of the leaders of a franchise and to be the voice of a team and organization was a huge honor and privilege," Greene said. "It's something that I never took lightly, and I'm forever grateful for that."

Fittingly, Greene decided to sign a one-day contract this month to end his career as a member of the Devils' organization after spending the previous two seasons with the Islanders due to a 2020 trade.

"He took full advantage of his opportunity and was unbelievably successful," said Miami head coach Chris Bergeron, who was an assistant with the RedHawks' program during Greene's time in college. "I personally believe the 1,000 games was his biggest individual accomplishment in the league.

Andy Greene honored at Devils game

"He had a humble, quiet belief in himself and an unbelievable work ethic…What he did was pretty special. I've known him for 20 years now, and to watch him grow and evolve – we're just very proud."

Greene grew up around the game of hockey, with three older brothers that all played the sport. "I was born on the way to the rink and grew up in a rink," he said. Some of his earliest memories are of searching underneath the bleachers at his siblings' hockey games to find extra money for the concession stand or some beat-up pucks he could take home and practice with.

"My mom always told me from an early age that hockey was going to be part of me," said Greene. His career path in the sport would lead him from high school to junior hockey and then eventually to Miami University.

According to Bergeron, he initially assumed Greene wasn't interested in joining the Miami program because he couldn't get the prospect to return his phone calls.

"Here's a kid from Trenton, Mich. that we thought could go wherever he wanted, and we weren't sure how serious he was about us," Bergeron recalled. "I had a conversation with his mother and she said, 'Don't give up on him! He's not calling anybody back!' He was an 18- or 19-year old that was just going to do it when he got around to it."

Greene laughed at the memory, but didn't dispute it. "He says I wouldn't call him back. I don't know; I don't remember that part," he chuckled.

One way or the other, Greene made it to campus for a visit and left with a scholarship offer, which he finally accepted. "I always knew of Miami," Greene said. "I had a couple people that I grew up with that went there. I knew it was a great campus, great school, great everything."

Greene's decision changed the trajectory of the RedHawks' program. Andy Greene playing for Miami

"What he means to Miami Hockey is difficult to put into words," Bergeron said. "When Andy Greene committed, it was the beginning of putting Miami Hockey at a whole different level, both in the league and nationally. We had not had that level of success before."

Greene put up 114 points in 159 games for the Red and White, serving as a team captain for three seasons and earning All-America honors twice. He was a Hobey Baker Finalist in 2006 and was named both the conference's Best Offensive Defenseman and Best Defensive Defenseman that season. In fact, Greene, Miami's only three-time First Team All-CCHA selection, was later selected as a member of the CCHA All-Time First Team (an honor that spans more than four decades of conference history).

During his time in Oxford, the RedHawks won a regular-season CCHA title (2006) and advanced to two NCAA Tournaments (2004, 2006). He also led Miami to its first-ever No. 1 national ranking in any sport when the RedHawks climbed to the top of the polls in January 2006.

In that same season, Greene was part of the last-ever game at 'the old Goggin.' His RedHawks sent off their old home arena in style with an overtime win over Western Michigan to advance to the CCHA Championship.

"You couldn't close down that place better than we did," he smiled. "So many memories at the Goggin, knowing it was the last year of that building." Miami would open Steve "Coach" Cady Arena in the new Goggin Ice Center the following winter.

Greene was an education major and made a point to finish his Miami degree, even more than a decade later, after leaving school to begin his professional career with just a few classes remaining. He graduated in 2017. "It was one thing I promised my mom I'd always do," he said.

The veteran defenseman was selected for Miami Athletics' Hall of Fame in 2019, returning during NHL training camp for the induction ceremony. He enjoys staying connected to the Miami Hockey family and coming back for summer alumni weekends, but also said he's looking forward to getting to visit campus for a home series sometime now that he won't be 'in season' with the pros. "I have a lot of trust in 'Berge' and [Barry] Schutte and how they're going to make that program the best it's going to be," Greene said.

As Greene looks back at a long and successful journey in the game he loves, he also looks ahead to what the next chapter of his life will hold. The No. 1 priority is certainly increased family time with wife Rachel (Andy and Rachel are 'Miami Mergers') and young sons Colton and Maddox, after two seasons' worth of commuting from the family's New Jersey home to the Islanders' facilities in New York.

Andy Greenes family

Greene, who turns 40 years old this weekend, also expects to have some level of involvement with the Devils' organization going forward, although the exact details haven't been worked out. The franchise honored the newly-retired Greene at its home opener on Oct. 15. "I've taken a lot of those ceremonial puck drops, but never given one before!", he said. "It was a cool night and a very special week."

No matter what Greene's future holds, his approach will remain the same: Always believe in yourself, and put the work in that's necessary to ensure success. "In terms of hockey, I think almost every time I set a goal, I reached it," he said.

"I wanted to make the high school hockey team as a freshman. I wanted to be one of the top defensemen in high school hockey, play juniors, and get a scholarship to play college hockey. Sign an NHL contract. Play one game. Then how do I turn one game into a career?

"I was fortunate enough to do that over 16 years and play over 1,000 games, with a lot of different milestones. The one goal I came up short on was winning the Stanley Cup, but it wasn't for lack of effort…that one I blame on some luck, but we had great teams and great opportunities…

"Now going forward, I don't know what my goal is exactly right now, but when I do, that will be my goal and I won't stop until I reach it."

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