After the hiring of Dave Hakstol became official , the new Sun Devil coach wasted little time before assembling his staff, which included a call to an old friend.
Matt Greene, a two-time Stanley Cup champion as a player and now a coach for the Los Angeles Kings, has agreed to join Hakstol in Tempe. Their connection began long before this most recent call, though.
Greene, a big-bodied defenseman with a nose for the penalty box even in his college days, played for North Dakota when Hakstol was just an assistant in Grand Forks. In 2004, when Hakstol took over as the head man, one of the first things he did was name Greene a team captain. Later that season, the two were playing and coaching in the National Championship game.
Quick results between the two might not happen in that fashion in Tempe, but it wouldn't be out of the ordinary. Besides Hakstol's decorated coaching career in the NCAA and NHL, Greene made the Stanley Cup Finals in his first full season with the Edmonton Oilers. After being traded to the Kings in 2008, he was then a part of the franchise's only two championships, lifting the cup in 2012 and 2014.
Jun 13, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Los Angeles Kings defenseman Matt Greene (2) kisses the Stanley Cup after defeating the New York Rangers in game five of the 2014 Stanley Cup Final at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Greene has carried the trust Hakstol put in him throughout his career. A massive leader for the Kings, he was named an alternate captain by the team just two months after being acquired from the Oilers, and wore it throughout both Cup victories. He became known as one of the main players who "changed the culture" for the Kings' ascendance.
After Greene's playing career in Los Angeles came to an end, he joined the staff as a professional scout. Since then, he's had hands in many different avenues with the club, transitioning to player development, on-ice sessions with their AHL team, the Ontario Reign, and individual workouts with the team's defenseman draft picks. Most recently, while still having most of that on his plate, he's slotted behind the bench, working with defensemen and the penalty kill, after the Kings made a coaching change midseason.
"He(Greene) is here every day, he knows the organization...I needed a defensive coach, so I thought it all added up. He's well respected, he knows lots of the players, he played with a couple of them. I think for all of those reasons, [he was the choice to join the staff]."
22 years after Greene was named a captain by Hakstol for North Dakota, the two will team up to try to build the Sun Devil program on the fly. With both leaving NHL jobs mid-season to join the 2-2 Arizona State, they'll have to learn their team quickly.
Greene, still in his early stages officially as a coach, will make his debut behind the bench in the NCAA. Having worked with prospects and developing players, it should be a seamless transition in the long-term outlook for the players, but can he and his former coach create a winner in Tempe? The team takes the ice Friday against UMass-Lowell, the first shot for the new coaches to make their mark.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/arizonastate as Familiar Faces in New Places: Why Matt Greene Could Be an Integral Part of ASU Hockey .
