New Jersey Devils named Andy Greene their 11th captain in team history

Andy Greene (Jim McIsaac / Getty Images)

The undrafted defenseman actually received the news on Thursday afternoon, when Head Coach John Hynes and General Manager, Ray Shero called him into their office to give him the news.  Greene told Northjersey.com on Friday morning, “They pulled me into their office and we talked it over, I am very excited about it.”

Greene becomes just the third American born player to wear the “C” for the Devils. Joining Jamie Langenbrunner and Zach Parise in that honor. He also becomes the fifth defenseman to be the team’s captain, joining Bryce Salvador, Scott Stevens, Scott Niedermayer and Bruce Driver.

Greene also said, “I have not really thought about it, everything just happened yesterday, I am going to go the same way about the game and be the same player out there, the same person. Don’t get me wrong, it is a letter, but you have to continue to play and be yourself.”

Greene served as captain for his college team, Miami of Ohio. After not being drafted, Greene signed with the Devils on April 4, 2006, as an unrestricted free agent following his senior year. While he struggled to earn a roster spot his early years with the team, but along the way has become one of the better defensemen in the room.

Greene did say he learned things about leadership from the four captains he served under, Patrik Elias, Langenbrunner, Parise and Salvador. He told fireandice.com, “Everyone’s got to be their own guy and has their own way of doing things, obviously I have had a lot of good guys to watch and follow throughout the years and having coaches here too, Larry Robinson just watching him and Scotty Stevens and Marty Brodeur. They all brought a little different things to the table and you try to pick their minds a little bit. I think the important thing is to be yourself. It has gotten you this far and I will continue to do that.”

Hynes said that the choice was “clear cut.” He added that Green is the right man for the job “for multiple reasons.”

Greene added, “Obviously whenever your teammates think that or choose you or vote for you, it is as huge honor. I appreciate that they look at me like that.”

As the captain Greene will be the players’ main voice with the coaching staff and also help to get the coaches message get across to the dressing room.

He said, “I have been captain at other levels and it is kind of the same, just a lot bigger stakes. I think at the same time, it is an open communication from this locker room to the coaches’ locker room. You have to have an open dialogue between each other and let them know how the team is feeling and let them know what we think is working and is not working and go from there. Just have a pulse of the locker room and be able to communicate that to the coaches in one way or another.”

Greene, who turns 33 on October 30, succeeds Salvador as the Devils captain. His Alternate Captains will rotate between Elias, Mike Camaleri, Travis Zajac and Adam Henrique. Zajac added, “I have played with Greener now for 10 years and I have had the kind of privilege of growing with him through the system and getting to know him and have seen him become a leader. He is an underrated in what he does both on and off the ice, the type of player he is, and it is well deserved.”