Greer's Celebration Served As A Symbol

BOSTON - Jim Montgomery saw a player who gets it.
After potting his first goal as a Bruin on Saturday night, A.J. Greer circled the Arizona net, grabbed hold of his sweater, and laid a big fat smooch on the Spoked-B on his chest, as he roared along with the raucous TD Garden crowd.
It was a symbol, Boston's bench boss said, of how much Greer appreciates donning the Black & Gold.

"I think it echoes what I'm talking about how special it is to be a Bruin," said Montgomery. "I see it. And I know I am very fortunate to be in that locker room. And I think he sees it, too. It's awesome that he's showing that emotion and it's a connection that I think everybody can understand, how special it is to be a Bruin."
Greer followed up his standout celebration with another goal just under five minutes later, an empty-netter that put a bow on Boston's 6-3 victory over the Coyotes on Saturday evening at TD Garden in the B's home opener. It also capped a night to remember for the 25-year-old Quebec native, who had just two goals and eight points across 48 career games with Colorado and New Jersey entering the night.
"Even in the preseason I was telling my fiancé, my parents, how energetic this building is and how fun it is to play here," said Greer, whose first goal came 3:20 after Derek Forbort's eventual winner gave Boston a 4-3 lead midway through the third. "Just playing for the Bruins is very special because it's an Original Six team. It's such a special organization and I'm so grateful for myself to be in this position.
"I was overwhelmed when I scored that goal and I just wanted to show my love for the Bruins and for the fans because without them the energy's not there. It was such a great building tonight. It was an awesome evening, even just getting my name introduced at the beginning, it was awesome."

Greer, who also delivered a two-goal game in the B's preseason win over the New York Rangers at TD Garden, shifted to his off wing against the Coyotes as Trent Frederic entered the lineup in place of the injured Jake DeBrusk and played the left side, with Charlie Coyle manning the middle, on Boston's third line.
The power trio - all of whom stand at 6-foot-3 - displayed a blend of skill and strength that put Arizona on its heels every time they hit the ice. Their effectiveness was evident in the first period when Greer and Frederic wreaked havoc on the Coyotes in the neutral zone and forced a turnover at the Arizona blue line.
Frederic then fed Coyle, who burst into the Coyotes end and roofed a wrister over the shoulder of goalie Karel Vejmelka with 1:36 remaining in the first to give the Bruins a 2-0 lead.
"I thought everyone kind of focused up and our lines did the task at hand," said Greer, who was a plus-4 and also picked up an assist on Coyle's goal, giving him a three-point night and his first-ever multi-point outing. "I don't call it the third and fourth line because I think that anyone can play anywhere. I think that [Nick Foligno's] line did a great job playing down low and playing over the puck. Our line was great. I thought we had really good chemistry, we read off each other, we had some nice downlow plays but also off the rush.
"We were very good defensively. In the neutral zone I thought that we put them on their heels and cut off those passing lanes. That first goal we were playing a system and we cut off the pass and then next thing you know it's in the back of the net. It was a very good feeling to have that chemistry with Charlie and Frederic. Looking forward to what's gonna come next."

Greer showed off his ornery side, too, landing a game-high six hits, while also getting into it with Arizona's Liam O'Brien at the final buzzer, a tussle that no doubt stemmed from O'Brien's vicious hit on Brandon Carlo in the first period that forced the B's blue liner out of the game with an upper-body injury.
That willingness to engage the opponent and provide a boost to his teammates is exactly the type of style that Greer is willing to embrace, and one he has come to know plays quite well around these parts.
"You look at Boston in general and they're energetic people. They are people who are passionate. Passionate people. I lived here when I was at BU. I went to the Sox games, I didn't get to the Patriots game, I went to a few Bruins playoff games, and just the culture and energy that the people bring here and the passion and the love they have for their sports teams," said Greer, who played at Boston University from 2014-16.
"For me I create energy, I'm a power forward, and I hit, I skate, I try to do everything I can at 110 percent. For the people here to appreciate that, that's love for me. Yes, there have been a lot of guys in the past - you look at guys like [Sean] Kuraly, [Milan] Lucic, obviously. But for me I'm just trying to play my game.
"I built my game up to a certain level where I've matured. I've understood what it means to play in those three zones, and to be reliable and to have success. It wasn't easy. I went through ups and downs in my career at the beginning, when I was kind of lazy in the D-zone and I needed to be checked and, fortunately, I played for great coaches in the American League, coaches that cared about me, that not only cared about the player I was, but about the person I was.
"I really built my game up and I got it to a point last year where I felt I was comfortable with getting that success and making sure I'll be ready for that opportunity when it comes in the NHL."

Greer's approach has certainly caught the eyes of his teammates.
"I was thrilled for him tonight, seeing him score those goals," said Nick Foligno, who potted a goal of his own to give Boston a 3-1 lead late in the second period. "He's a guy that's provided us with a lot of energy. He's had a pretty crazy story in trying to break into the league and trying to find his way.
"You root for guys like that - the guys that understand how hard and how privileged they are to be here. He's a guy that I don't think he takes a day for granted."
He certainly is not.
"We're only two games in, but I feel really good about where I'm at right now with my game," said Greer. "Obviously it's not perfect. It's only gonna get better from here. But I think that I have trust in the coaches, whenever I do something wrong or I need some checking. whether it's in the offensive zone, neutral zone, or D-zone, they're gonna tell me and I'm gonna respond and make sure that doesn't happen again."

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