Recalling Greene's Great Impact on Islanders as Defenseman Retires

When Andy Greene was acquired by the Islanders in February 2020, he was anything but green.
At that point, Greene had played 923 games over 14 years with the New Jersey Devils, along with another 50 games of playoff experience. He was well-established as a steady veteran defenseman, and a leader, captaining the Devils from 2015 until the trade.

Greene was brought in to help bolster the Islanders blue line that at the time was without Adam Pelech and add some extra depth as the team made a playoff push. Greene quickly engrained himself on the Islanders blue line, becoming a key piece of the team's run to the Eastern Conference Final and eventually inking a two-year deal. It may have felt like a rental in the moment, but it turned out to be a superb swan song for a storied career, as
Greene announced his retirement on Wednesday
.
"I can go on forever about how good of a teammate he is," Kyle Palmieri said. "He was undrafted and went on to play 1000 games. It's an awesome career and there's nobody more deserving of people celebrating his career than Andy. It's sad to see him step away from the game, but he was a great teammate, great friend, great role model for us."

All told, Greene played 134 regular season games with the Islanders from 2020-22, plus another 40 games in back-to-back runs to the third round of the playoffs. He blocked 244 shots during the regular season and while those left some bumps and bruises, it's safe to say Greene left a mark on the Islanders.
"I had a lot of respect for him playing against him and even more after getting the chance to play with him," Josh Bailey said. "He had a hell of a career and playing at a high level at his age was pretty impressive."
Bailey cited Greene's veteran presence in the room, but it was especially felt by Noah Dobson, as the elder defenseman mentored his younger partner in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.
"I have a lot of respect for Andy and he's one of the better guys I have been around in the hockey world," Dobson said. "I think he's he helped me a lot. He's just such a great guy off the ice and on the ice, he just has a calm demeanor [and a sense of] composure I think that you can learn a lot from. So I owe a lot to Greenie I got a lot of respect for him. And I'm really grateful I've had the chance to play alongside him for a couple years."
Greene's calm, cool and collected demeanor was one of his hallmarks on the ice. That poise allowed him to shine in big games, like Game Seven against the Philadelphia Flyers in 2020. Greene scored to make it 2-0 in the decisive 4-0 win, propelling the Islanders to the conference finals for the first time since 1993.

"In those big games and playoffs he was always calm and you know you were going to get to get a big game from him," Bailey said. "He brought a lot of confidence."
Zach Parise played with Greene in New Jersey from 2007-2012 and both share the distinction of captaining the Devils. While Parise's career took him home to Minnesota, the two remained close, as did their families, with Greene's wife, Rachel, being in the Parise wedding party.
So when they had a chance to play together again last season on Long Island, it was an opportunity relished by the old friends, especially being able to celebrate Greene's 1,000th game.
"To start with him and then be able to end on the same team with him, I thought that was pretty neat," Parise said. "He had such a great, underrated career and for him to kind of play 1000 games and be a captain in the league, it was such a special honor for him. You can't say enough about the guy."
Parise joked that aside from greyer beard and less hair, Greene looked and carried himself the same way in the Isles room as he had done all those years ago in New Jersey.
"It was like nothing had changed, like that eight years between didn't exist," Parise said. "I was looking at him and having flashbacks. It was the exact same guy."

Kyle Palmieri didn't have as long as a gap between playing with Greene in New Jersey and on Long Island. Palmieri had the experience of playing under Greene as captain and said that was a role that came naturally to him.
"He was an incredible leader and role model for a very young team," Palmieri said. "A lot of guys were kind of finding their footing in the league and there was no better guy to turn from than him."
Palmieri and Greene experienced some lean years together in New Jersey, so they appreciated the chance to go to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Semifinals together, even if the Islanders fell short.
"As far as an ultimate teammate and professional goes, he's one of the best I've ever played with," Palmieri said. "I think it was special to share that run with him."
Even in retirement, Palmieri said he's got plenty to learn from Greene.
"You learn a lot from a guy and just how he carries himself," Palmieri said. "My first year Jersey there he had his first son and you kind of learn how to be a dad and I leaned on him a lot when we had our baby last year. So there's a lot of things that that are away from the rink. You can learn from a guy like Andy."