LA Kings Training Camp 2011: Matt Greene gets serious

Brace yourself, this is a serious Matt Greene.

Don't worry, he'll be back on MayorsManor soon enough with more of his hilarious takes on his teammates, the game of hockey, music and a myriad of topics.

However, on day one of training camp, we talked all business...

On the difference between today and what's been going on the last week or so with the Kings volunteer workouts - "Structure. When you're skating on your own, there's really no structure, You're just kind of playing shinny and you don't really know where anybody is. Here, when you're doing drills, you know where people are going to be and you can get your head up. You make plays without really looking because you're getting back into the system. It's a lot easier for a guy like me, who's not really creative. If guys are in position, it's a lot easier for me to play the game."

What kinks in his game is he trying to work out? "Everything, just laziness. When you skate during the summer, a lot of laziness just creeps into your game. You have that extra second because guys aren't really working that hard. Then, you get out here and you have to make sure you're on your game right away. No extra stick handles. Really just taking the rust out of your game - just making sure skating gets back to normal and making quick decisions and getting your hands quicker."

On working with the three rookie defensemen trying to make the team this year - "Whoever you're out there with you're going to give advice to. But, I think in times like this, you're learning as much as you are hopefully giving to them. You see Slava (Voynov)'s puck skills, that's something that's pretty special. If I can pick up a couple things from him, even real minor, I'll be better off for it. You're always learning from each other. That's part of the organization. If you can help anybody with anything - if Willie Mitchell sees something or Rob Scuderi sees something positionally, where they can help me - hopefully they tell me and vise-versa with Muzzin, Slava and Hickey. If you can pass anything on, I don't think guys are going to hesitate to do it."

On the feel in camp this season - "There's a different feel coming into camp compared to any team I've ever been on. This is by far the most buzz, we as players, have put on ourselves compared to any team I've ever been on - from juniors all the way up. I think everybody in here realizes what we have and the chance we have to really do something good. So, speaking for myself, I don't want to be the weak link on this team because we have a real long list of guys who can get the job done. We have a lot of real components and I think, me personally, just in talking to the other guys on the team, everyone wants to be a catalyst here - rather than a guy who is the reason why this didn't work. I think guys are real excited and I think guys are ready to bring their 'A' game."

Now, all of that said, if you need a taste of Greene's comedy, check out one of these articles:

Matt Greene tattoos his Kings teammates

Matt Greene calls out Dustin Penner and Ethan Moreau

Both of those articles should be required reading for all Kings fans.

The Mayor
www.twitter.com/MayorNHL
www.facebook.com/MayorsManor