The 50-year-old is in his fifth season as coach of the Vancouver Canucks. He tells Millard how much he's looking forward to what will be a natural rivalry with the expansion Seattle Kraken, which begins in earnest when the Canucks visit Seattle on Saturday for the first home game in Kraken history (10 p.m. ET; ESPN+, HULU, CBC, CITY, TVAS2, NHL LIVE).
"Anytime you've got a new rivalry that's so close to Vancouver …," Green said. "You've got a new building, new city, new fans. It will be exciting going in there for the first time and probably every time after that. When you're a player or coach, you like being part of that."
Green is 126-133-33 as Canucks coach, including 1-1-1 this season entering their game at the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday (7 p.m. ET; SN360, MSG-B, ESPN+, NHL LIVE). He discussed how this season is much different than last season, when the Canucks had several games postponed because of NHL COVID-19 protocol and played in the Scotia North Division, which included the seven Canada-based teams. They finished 23-29-4, seventh in the division; the top four teams made the Stanley Cup Playoffs. That result came one season after the Canucks reached Game 7 of the 2020 Western Conference Second Round.
"It's great to be back on the road, going to different arenas, having a season that feels a lot more normal, things that we're used to," Green said.
The Canucks nearly started the season without Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson before each signed a contract as a restricted free agent Oct. 3. Hughes, a 21-year-old defenseman, signed a six-year, $47.1 million contract (average annual value $7.85 million). Pettersson, a 22-year-old center, got a three-year, $22 million contract (average annual value $7.35 million).
Hughes (one goal, one assist) and Pettersson (one goal, one assist) each has scored two points through three games.
"I always felt like they would end up here," Green said. "I've learned quickly in coaching to control the things you can and try not to worry about the things you can't. I'm not always great at doing that, but I think in this case we had to worry about the guys who were there and not worry about the ones who weren't."
Green also breaks down some nuances of coaching, including what's said during intermission, matching lines and how to create the proper environment. He recalls how he got started in hockey, playing 14 seasons in the NHL and why he thinks he's able to relate to younger players.
"The Chirp with Daren Millard"
features interviews with players, executives, alumni and other personalities around the game. You can share your thoughts on Twitter using the hashtag #ChirpMallard.
