Greenway's sheer force a crucial part of his success

WINNIPEG -- Jordan Greenway played perhaps his best game as a pro on Wednesday night in the Wild's Game 1 loss to the Winnipeg Jets.
Playing in his seventh NHL game, and his first in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Greenway assisted on Matt Cullen's goal which got the Wild on the board in the third period and finishing a plus-1.
Of course, the big stage is nothing new for Greenway, who became the first player ever to play in an Olympics (United States), an NCAA Tournament (Boston University) and the Stanley Cup Playoffs in the same season.

"Going into the game, I thought overall I felt pretty relaxed. It's always good to go out, get the first few shifts under your belt. But it's been a good transition. It hasn't been anything too crazy," Greenway said. "I've been able to continue to find ways to get to my game and bring out aspects of my game I've had my whole life, throughout college."
One aspect of his game that shined brightly as the game went on was his physical play.
At 6-foot-6 and 230 pounds, Greenway admitted he came out a little too timid. But as Wednesday night wore on, he gladly mixed it up. His penchant for using his size and his reach to win puck battles and board battles is what makes him most effective.
"When you're 6-6, 230, if you can be engaged physically then you're going to be a better player. And he was," said Wild coach Bruce Boudreau.
The challenge for him will be getting to that level from the opening puck drop, and it's something Boudreau said he has and will continue to do with his rookie forward.
"We want him to be that way," Boudreau said. "A lot of it is your own personal makeup."
It's certainly not for a lack of understanding. While Greenway can move well for a man his size, his skating ability is not going to create time and space for him in the NHL.

"Even if a game is not physical, I always try and find ways to be physical, just because that's really the only way I can get a competitive edge," Greenway said. "It's all my body. The more physical it is, the better for me, I think, just because when I'm making contact with guys, whether I'm initiating it or not, I think that benefits me."
During the second and third periods in Game 1, Greenway was doing just that. Against a big, physical Jets defensive core, Greenway was winning board battles and gaining possession.
His best scoring chance of the night came in the second, when he won a puck battle along the end wall, carried it to the front of the net and was turned away on a wrap around try.
With his size, even big defenders have trouble moving him off the puck. The biggest challenge for Greenway will be his own realization of that fact.
"The game was pretty physical, and I think that's going to continue all series," Greenway said. "For me, trying to push back and finishing hits and being physical all over the ice, the little parts of the game, along the boards, I think that's going to have a big impact on this series."
Related:
- Webisode: Jordan Greenway's journey to NHL - Wild laments 'missed opportunity' in Game 1 loss to Jets