Red Wings' Green set to face Capitals for first time

DETROIT -- Detroit Red Wings defenseman Mike Green misses his old teammates and friends but he has moved on.

After spending the first 10 seasons of his career with the Washington Capitals, Green signed a three-year, $18 million contract with Detroit on July 1.

He will face his former team for the first time Tuesday when the Red Wings play the Capitals at Joe Louis Arena (7:30 p.m., TVAS, FS-D, CSN+).

"I was there a long time and obviously, sometimes change is good. I felt I was becoming a little bit stagnant there, so I wanted to evolve," Green said Monday. "And I felt that coming here would be the best thing for that. It was difficult, a lot of friendships there. Obviously there will be friends on the ice [Tuesday].

"It'll be strange, but I've moved forward now. I think it's more exciting than anything. I know the personality in the dressing room and how most of these guys play, so it will be fun. But it will be fun because we're competing."

Green, who had 360 points (113 goals, 247 assists) with Washington, has kept in touch with some of the Capitals players, particularly their No. 1 center.

"Most of the guys, but obviously (Nicklas) Backstrom, we actually roomed together when we were young and became really close," Green said. "He's probably the one I chat with the most, and then some of those younger guys, Tom Wilson and (Michael) Latta, they were good kids."

Green missed six games because of a shoulder injury before returning for a 4-1 loss against the Dallas Stars on Sunday, when he got his 250th career assist.

The Red Wings enter the game Tuesday with a record of 7-6-1. Green has three assists and a minus-3 in rating eight games.

"Now that I'm back in the lineup now is the time to sort of make an impression and, obviously, with the start of the season I'm still learning system and character and whatnot in the dressing room," Green said. "But now I feel comfortable and now it's about playing my game and that's all I can do really. It's been a pleasure playing here so far with the atmosphere of the guys."

Not only does Green have to deal with adjusting to his new surroundings, he will face Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin as an opponent for the first time Tuesday.

Ovechkin is tied with Sergei Fedorov for most NHL goals by a Russian player with 483. Fedorov, who played his first 13 seasons with the Red Wings, was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame on Monday night and will be honored before the game at Joe Louis Arena on Tuesday.

"Just taking his time in space away, really. If you let him skate or you give him too much room he's got an incredible shot," Green said. "If you can eliminate his time and space, you eliminate a lot of his chances.

"Obviously it's an important game for us. We want to make sure we get our points here. For myself, I just want to make sure I compete hard and get a win. That would be the sweetness on the top."