Links - Eager Green on bubble for Canada Green Life 52 - North River Minor Hockey Association

Eager Green on bubble for Canada Green Life 52LINKS PREVNEXTEager Green on bubble for CanadaA ticket to Vancouver would leave Capitals defenceman overjoyedMike Green is a bubble boy in terms of his chances of being named to the Canadian Olympic mens hockey team rosterSo the question was simple what would it mean to him if executive Steve Yzerman selects him to play at the 2010 Vancouver Games It would be the happiest day of my life the dynamic Washington Capitals defenceman saidAnd if Green could have an audience with Yzerman what would the candidate say to his potential boss That I care more than anyone else Green repliedThere is little doubt that Green cares Ask any teammate or official associated with the Capitals on which player takes losses the hardest and the answer is easy Mike GreenIf Green is not selected for the Canadian team he will no doubt take the snub hard But he shouldnt There is room for only a few offensive defencemen and despite his statistics Green is no shooin So if the likes of Chris Pronger Shea Weber Jay Bouwmeester and Duncan Keith Robyn Regehr and Drew Doughty are in the mix as the teams twoway blueliners Scott Niedermayer Dan Boyle Dion Phaneuf and Green are trying to make the Canadian roster as production providers from the back endHes right there Capitals veteran centre Brendan Morrison said It depends on what they are looking for in building the team If theyre looking for a guy who can carry the mail carry the puck out of his own end can skate the puck out of trouble can make a good first pass is good at transition and running a power play than hes your guyHis offensive instincts are the best Ive seen from a player in the back end If hes not the top offensive defenceman in the league hes topthree for sureGreens chances of wearing the Canadian sweater in Vancouver took a hit in the playoffs last spring His play was erratic but he also was suffering from a serious shoulder injury from a crunching boardloosening hit from Pronger in a game last November He wound up missing 14 games but still felt the effects of the ailment the rest of the seasonHas Green rebounded from the poor postseason performance It appears so As most NHL teams begin the secondquarter of play there is Green tied for the leaguelead among defencemen with Torontos Tomas Kaberle at 24 points in 23 gamesIm not going to change the way I play because my job first and foremost is to play for the Washington Capitals and help us win games Green said But obviously playing for Canada has been in the back of my mindThose closer to Green believe that playing for Canada is on his mind more than hes letting on They say that hes been checking the lists of the prognosticators and that he knows which people have scratched him from their forecastsBittersweet international experiencesThe 24yearold Green hails from Calgary But he ha...