Edward Joseph "Terrible Ted" Green (March 23, 1940 – October 8, 2019) was a Canadian professional ice hockey coach and player. Green played defenceman in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Boston Bruins and in the World Hockey Association (WHA) for the New England Whalers and Winnipeg Jets, and was noted for his physical play. Green served as a head coach with the Edmonton Oilers, and was an assistant coach with the Oilers and the New York Rangers.[1]

Ted Green
Green with the Boston Bruins in 1962
Born (1940-03-23)March 23, 1940
Eriksdale, Manitoba, Canada
Died October 8, 2019(2019-10-08) (aged 79)
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 185 lb (84 kg; 13 st 3 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Right
Played for Boston Bruins
New England Whalers
Winnipeg Jets
Coached for Edmonton Oilers
Playing career 1959–1979
Coaching career 1982–2004

Playing career

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Green played junior hockey in Manitoba for the Winnipeg Braves, winning the Memorial Cup in the 1958–59 season. He was originally the property of the Montreal Canadiens but was claimed by the Bruins in the summer of 1960 and was called up for good in the 1961–62 season. He played ten seasons for Boston, gaining a reputation as a hard-hitting defensive defenceman, as well as one for violent play, and was a bulwark on the blue line when the Bruins emerged from being at the bottom of the league to become a powerhouse in the late 1960s. He was named to play in the All-Star Game in 1965 and 1969.

Coming off his best season in 1969 (for which he was named to the Second All-Star Team), Green was involved in an infamous incident in an exhibition game in Ottawa versus the St. Louis Blues on September 21, 1969, engaging in a bloody stick fight with Blues' forward Wayne Maki. Green was struck in the head, suffering a fractured skull and brain damage. He missed the entire regular season and playoffs, during which Boston won the Stanley Cup. Maki and Green were both charged with assault as a result of the incident, the first time NHL players faced charges as a result of on-ice violence; both were acquitted.[2] Green was suspended by the NHL for 13 games.[2] Though Green did not officially win the Cup, his teammates gave him his share of the prize money, and his name was also engraved on the Stanley Cup in 1970. Green's near-fatal encounter would further propel discourse around the conversation of mandatory helmets in hockey.[3]

He returned the following season to play two more years with Boston (and played for the 1972 Cup-winning team) before jumping to the upstart New England Whalers in the WHA, being named their first captain and leading the team to the WHA's inaugural league championship. After three seasons with the Whalers, he was traded to the Winnipeg Jets, with whom he finished his playing career in 1979.

Green ended his playing career with 254 points and 1029 penalty minutes in 620 games (NHL) and 180 points and 304 penalty minutes in 452 games (WHA). He ranked 17th all-time in games played in the WHA.

Coaching career

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After his retirement, Green coached the intermediate Carman Hornets to a provincial title in 1979–80. He then joined the Edmonton Oilers as an assistant coach under close friend Glen Sather, who had played alongside him in Boston from 1967 to 1969. He won five more cups in 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988, 1990 (7 in total).[1] He was named head coach of the Oilers in 1991, just as the Oilers' 1980s championship years were ending, though he led the team to the conference finals in 1992. With the Oilers' dynasty disintegrating, they missed the playoffs altogether in 1993—the first time they had been out of the postseason as an NHL team. Following a slow start in the 1993–94 NHL season, Sather fired Green 24 games into the season.[1]

Death

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Green died in Edmonton on October 8, 2019, after a long illness.[1][4]

Awards and achievements

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Career statistics

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Regular season and playoffs

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Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1956–57 St. Boniface Canadiens MJHL 17 1 2 3 76 7 0 0 0 10
1957–58 St. Boniface Canadiens MJHL 23 1 4 5 97 12 1 2 3 32
1957–58 St. Boniface Canadiens M-Cup 11 2 3 5 38
1958–59 St. Boniface Canadiens MJHL 25 5 11 16 120 9 1 5 6 32
1958–59 Winnipeg Braves M-Cup 16 2 6 8 50
1958–59 Winnipeg Warriors WHL 1 0 0 0 4
1959–60 Winnipeg Warriors WHL 70 8 20 28 109
1960–61 Boston Bruins NHL 1 0 0 0 2
1960–61 Kingston Frontenacs EPHL 11 1 5 6 30 5 1 0 1 2
1960–61 Winnipeg Warriors WHL 57 1 18 19 127
1961–62 Boston Bruins NHL 66 3 8 11 116
1962–63 Boston Bruins NHL 70 1 11 12 117
1963–64 Boston Bruins NHL 70 4 10 14 145
1964–65 Boston Bruins NHL 70 8 27 35 156
1965–66 Boston Bruins NHL 27 5 13 18 113
1966–67 Boston Bruins NHL 47 6 10 16 67
1967–68 Boston Bruins NHL 72 7 36 43 133 4 1 1 2 11
1968–69 Boston Bruins NHL 65 8 38 46 99 10 2 7 9 18
1970–71 Boston Bruins NHL 78 5 37 42 60 7 1 0 1 25
1971–72 Boston Bruins NHL 54 1 16 17 21 10 0 0 0 0
1972–73 New England Whalers WHA 78 16 30 46 47 12 1 5 6 25
1973–74 New England Whalers WHA 75 7 26 33 42 7 0 4 4 2
1974–75 New England Whalers WHA 57 6 14 20 29 3 0 0 0 2
1975–76 Winnipeg Jets WHA 79 5 23 28 73 11 0 2 2 16
1976–77 Winnipeg Jets WHA 70 4 21 25 45 20 1 3 4 12
1977–78 Winnipeg Jets WHA 73 4 22 26 52 8 0 2 2 2
1978–79 Winnipeg Jets WHA 20 0 2 2 16
WHA totals 452 42 138 180 304 61 2 16 18 57
NHL totals 620 48 206 254 1,029 31 4 8 12 54

Coaching record

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Team Year Regular season Post season
G W L T Pts Finish Result
Edmonton Oilers 1991–92 80 36 34 10 82 3rd in Smythe Lost in conference finals
Edmonton Oilers 1992–93 84 26 50 8 60 5th in Smythe Missed playoffs
Edmonton Oilers 1993–94 24 3 18 3 9 6th in Smythe (fired)
Total 188 65 102 21

References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Former Oilers coach, 7-time Cup champion Ted Green dies at 79". CBC Sports. The Canadian Press. 12 October 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Bruins' Marty McSorley charged with assault". CBC. 8 March 2000. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  3. ^ "Helmet-maker uses space material". Montreal Gazette. November 11, 1971. p. 16. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  4. ^ Matheson, Jim. "Edmonton Oilers remember Ted Green". Edmonton Journal. Retrieved 2019-10-13.
  5. ^ WHA Hall of Fame Members
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Preceded by Head coach of the Edmonton Oilers
1991–93
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Position created
New England Whalers captain
197275
Succeeded by