Mike Green gave a 30-minute interview on Sportsnet Radio Fan 960 in Calgary, and in it, he touched on his HBO 24/7 experience, the Capitals' season and much more. He also finally explained the scene where he was riding a vespa to practice.
"They made it seem like it was badass, but I bet you there are other guys out there who ride scooters. They caught me on the right day. I had to take that because I was donating it to a charity event in D.C. I had to drive it because I had no other way to get it there. It was a little chilly out that day. My fingers were frozen to those handlebars."
So that's less cool than originally expected, but still fun. More on HBO 24/7 and the season as a whole below the jump.
Green said the team didn't exactly love having the HBO cameras on them throughout the process, but learned to live and deal with them over the course of the month.
"They didn't really prepare us for what they were doing, and they were everywhere. When I woke up in the morning, they were sometimes filming almost 24 hours a day, almost until we went to bed. At first, it was a little distracting, because guys didn't know how to deal with it. But as we went on, we got to know the crew, and it was fun."
He was asked whether the show was accurate, and immediately said "no" before clarifying a bit.
It's not like that the whole year. It portrayed us as we're going through a tough time. It wasn't as tough as it seemed, but that's the game. It was accurate in the sense that that's what was going on with the injuries and what guys played through. But other than that, it's not that depressing.
Green also talked about the Capitals' season, their playoff disappointment and the much-discussed style change he and the rest of the team went through. He was asked whether he'd rather play the way the team did in 2009/10 over 2010/11, and tried his best to dodge the question.
With our talent, I agree, [let us play]. Now, it's about finding our balance and be able to keep that offensive force while really tuning in to our defensive game when we don't have the puck. That's been our biggest struggle lately: finding that balance. But this year was a good learning experience for us.
He also said it was especially tough for him to make the transition, sharing an anecdote about how Bruce Boudreau asked him if he was "ready to score some goals" before his first game.
I played this certain style of hockey that wasn't typical of a defensemen, and to be honest with you, that's how I was asked to play, to get up into the rush, get on the power play. But as you get older, you realize that's not how the game was meant to be played, and you come into your own. It's taken some time, but I'm finally starting to feel comfortable with my all-around game.
For the full interview, click here.
(Via Japers Rink. Also transcribed by Dan Steinberg).