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Gritty Greer cherishes first goal

February 21, 2019, 7:33 PM ET [2 Comments]
Rick Sadowski
Colorado Avalanche Blogger •Avalanche Insider • RSSArchiveCONTACT
It took parts of three seasons and 35 games, but the wait was well worth it for A.J. Greer, who collected his first NHL goal Wednesday to cap off the Avalanche’s 7-1 rout of Winnipeg at the Pepsi Center.

A 6-foot-3, 210-pound left wing, Greer skated to the front of the net to jam J.T. Compher’s backhand pass behind Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck with 33.5 seconds to play in the third period.

“It’s awesome, being in the Pepsi Center and hearing those fans cheer after my name’s been named by the announcer. I had chills,” Greer, 22, said Thursday after an optional on-ice session.

“I think (the puck’s) just going to stay with me wherever I go. No one can take that away from me. Whether I have 10 more games in the NHL or a thousand more games, I scored a goal in the NHL and for me that’s an accomplishment that I’ll always remember.”

The game had long been decided, but that didn’t make the goal any less sweet.

“Big relief,” he said. “I was just relieved, really. I had a bunch of chances and I’ve played a little bit over 30 games. For me to be able to score a goal in the NHL is a dream come true and nobody can take that away from me.

“It’s something I’ll never forget and I’m really happy to be able to share it with these guys, having them congratulate me and having all the staff congratulate me. It’s a great accomplishment for myself. I’m proud of myself.”

Greer, who was the Avalanche’s second-round pick (No. 39) in the 2015 NHL draft, is on his fourth recall from the AHL Colorado Eagles. He was called up from San Antonio, the team’s previous AHL affiliate, four times last season and twice in 2016-17.

He’s played in eight consecutive games, his longest stretch in the NHL, the past two games on a reconfigured fourth line with Compher and Andrew Agozzino, who was called up Sunday and scored his first NHL goal Monday against Vegas.

“A.J.’s done a nice job in the limited minutes that he’s been given,” coach Jared Bednar said. “I see improvement in this recall from the first recall. You need different guys contributing every night, even though they’ve had limited minutes some nights depending on the score in the game and how nice job in the time that they’ve been given, creating chances and suppressing chances.”

There isn’t anything fancy about Greer’s game. He’s a hard-nosed forward who plays with an edge. He had 29 points (13 goals, 16 assists) in 36 games with the Eagles this season, along with 48 penalty minutes. He has a goal, an assist and 14 penalty minutes in 13 games with Colorado.

Greer needs to play a physical style to be effective, but he’s taken a few penalties that should have been avoided. He took an ill-timed roughing penalty at 12:14 of the second period Wednesday, using his gloved hand to give Brendan Lemieux a facial shove in full view of the officials, 53 seconds after Mikko Rantanen scored to give the Avalanche a 2-0 lead.

If the Jets had converted the ensuing power play, it would have turned the momentum in their favor.

“There’s a fine line,” Bednar said. “Last night’s penalty, the time that it comes, it’s a bad penalty. We build the lead and we kill the penalty off and I wanted to get him more ice time and not punish him because he has to play with a certain edge and sort of toe that line in order to be successful and to do his job and fill his role in the National Hockey League, and that’s what it is right now.

“We’re going to need him to play with an edge and he’s done a nice job, but he’s taken a couple penalties here and there, and he’ll have to watch that and make sure he’s cognizant of what he can get away with when he can.”

Greer played 7:08 Wednesday, a bit more than his 6:13 average this season. He had an assist a week ago in the Avalanche’s 4-1 win in Winnipeg that ended their eight-game losing streak.

“(He was) all over the puck, taking pucks to the net, gritty, physical, never cheats you on his try,” Bednar said. “That’s kind of the new standard, the new bar I’ve set for him, the best game I’ve seen him play in his time here.

“I see some confidence coming in his game, which he needs. He’s trying to play safe and play physical and do all the right things. A little bit of the poise is starting to come back to what we’ve seen in the American League.”



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