Mark R. Green (December 26, 1967 – October 5, 2004) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...

player who played 10 seasons in various North American minor leagues. He was chosen in the ninth round by the

Winnipeg Jets The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, pl ...

, 176th overall in the

1986 NHL Entry Draft The 1986 NHL Entry Draft was the 24th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 21, 1986, at the Montreal Forum in Montreal, Quebec. The National Hockey League (NHL) teams selected 252 players eligible for entry into professional ranks, in the revers ...

Career

High school

Green began his career in Watertown minor hockey. By his sophomore year in high school, Green was a top scorer for the Watertown Cyclones. As a sophomore, he led Section 3 in scoring with 86 points. The following year, he led Section 3 with 40 goals and 68 points. He was named to the Empire State Games roster three straight years, and left Watertown High School after three years to attend New Hampton prep school, finishing with 110 career goals and 181 career points for the Cyclones.

College

Green skated four seasons at

Clarkson University Clarkson University is a private research university with its main campus in Potsdam, New York, and additional graduate program and research facilities in the New York Capital Region and Beacon, New York. It was founded in 1896 and has an enr ...

. He scored 58 goals and 58 assists in 118 games. During his senior season, he finished with 21 goals and 24 assists and helped the Clarkson Golden Knights reach the

Frozen Four The annual NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament is a college ice hockey tournament held in the United States by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) to determine the top men's team in Division I. Like other Division I cham ...

in 1991. Green played a key role in the game that clinched the Frozen Four berth, scoring on a power-play late for Clarkson's 4–3 victory over Lake Superior State. Green scored the final goal in Walker Arena history in a preliminary round playoff game against Wisconsin.

Professional

After four seasons at Clarkson University, Green started his professional career with the

ECHL The ECHL (formerly the East Coast Hockey League) is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, with teams scattered across the United States and Canada. It is a tier below the American Hockey League (AHL). The E ...

's Johnstown Chiefs. On February 15, 1992, during his rookie season with the Chiefs, Green was able to hit the 50 goals in 50 games mark. Defenseman Dave MacIntyre sent a pass up to Green, who had been skating at center ice. Ferreira tipped the puck back to Green, which negated what could have been a two-line pass. Green then skated to the left circle and faked Raleigh defenseman Kris Miller before beating goalie Mike Mudd high on the right side. Green would finish the season with 68 goals, breaking the Johnstown record set by

Galen Head Galen Russell Head (April 16, 1947 – March 14, 2020) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player who spent the majority of his career, which lasted from 1967 to 1976, with the Johnstown Jets of the Eastern Hockey League and North American Hock ...

, who had scored 67 goals as a member of the

Johnstown Jets The Johnstown Jets were a professional ice hockey team from Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The Jets were founded in the Eastern Amateur Hockey League for the 1950–51 season, playing at the newly constructed Cambria County War Memorial Arena. The Jet ...

. Green's 117 points also broke the Chiefs' single-season points record, previously held by Tom Sasso, who had scored 101 points during the Chiefs'

1988–89 ECHL season The 1988–89 ECHL season was the inaugural season of the East Coast Hockey League. The leagues first season consisted of five teams in Erie, Pennsylvania, Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Knoxville, Tennessee, Vinton, Virginia and Winston-Salem, North Car ...

.EliteProspects.com: Johnstown Chiefs All-Time Stats
/ref> Green would leave the Chiefs after one season, but would continue his scoring pace with several minor league teams. As a member of the Louisville Icehawks, Green scored 48 goals in 61 games during the

1992–93 ECHL season The 1992–93 ECHL season was the fifth season of the ECHL. In 1992, the league saw numerous changes in team membership. The Winston-Salem Thunderbirds move to Wheeling, WV, becoming the first franchise to make a major relocation, the Roanoke Val ...

. Green would leave the ECHL after falling below his normal point per game pace and signed with the

Utica Blizzard The Utica Blizzard were a professional ice hockey team from Utica, New York, and member of the Colonial Hockey League (CoHL) from 1994 to 1997. The Blizzard replaced the Utica Bulldogs after the team had to be taken over by the league in the midd ...

for the 1994–95 season. He shattered the

's single season scoring record by scoring 71 goals in 71 games, and won the

Colonial Hockey League Colonial or The Colonial may refer to: * Colonial, of, relating to, or characteristic of a colony or colony (biology) Architecture * American colonial architecture * French Colonial * Spanish Colonial architecture Automobiles * Colonial (1920 au ...

most valuable player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

award. The following season, Green scored 51 goals in 60 games for the Blizzard but finished the season with the

Daytona Beach Breakers The Daytona Beach Breakers were a Single 'A' professional ice hockey team based in Daytona Beach, Florida. The team began play as the Sun Devils in the Sunshine Hockey League The Sunshine Hockey League (SuHL) was a low-level minor professional ice ...

of the upstart Southern Hockey League. In 1996, Green returned to the Colonial Hockey League and skated with the

Saginaw Lumber Kings The Saginaw Gears were a minor league, minor professional ice hockey franchise that played in the United Hockey League (UHL), formerly known as the Colonial Hockey League. The Gears existed for five seasons and part of one other, from 1994 to De ...

. He scored a career high 80 goals in 72 games with the Lumber Kings. He re-signed with the Lumber Kings for the 1997–98 season and scored 32 goals in 51 games. Green would leave the team in midseason to sign with the

Fayetteville Force The Fayetteville Force was a professional ice hockey team. based in Fayetteville, North Carolina. The franchise was a member of the Central Hockey League (1997–2001). They played their home games at the Crown Coliseum. Background In 1996, the C ...

of the

Central Hockey League The Central Hockey League (CHL) was a North American mid-level minor professional ice hockey league which operated from 1992 until 2014. It was founded by Ray Miron and Bill Levins and later sold to Global Entertainment Corporation, which opera ...

. Green finished the season scoring 27 goals in 26 games. Green signed with the Macon Whoopee for the 1998–99 season and scored 45 in 30 games. In 1999, Green signed with the

Lubbock Cotton Kings The Lubbock Cotton Kings were a professional ice hockey team formerly based in Lubbock, Texas as members of the Western Professional Hockey League and the Central Hockey League. The team played home games at City Bank Coliseum. History The Lubboc ...

of the

Western Professional Hockey League The Western Professional Hockey League (abbreviated WPHL) is a defunct minor professional ice hockey league. The WPHL operated from 1996 to 2001 with teams based in the southern United States, primarily Texas and Louisiana. The league started with ...

. In his only season with the Cotton Kings, scored 48 goals and 104 points in 68 games. Green returned to Macon and skated 10 games with the Whoopee before retiring in 2001. Mark Green was the prototypical low-minor league sniper, notching 503 goals in 617 games (including playoffs) in the lower levels of pro hockey. But he never played in the NHL, and only managed nine games in the high minors, with no goals and four assists for the

Atlanta Knights The Atlanta Knights were a minor league professional ice hockey team in the International Hockey League (1945–2001), International Hockey League from 1992 to 1996. The Knights were based in Atlanta, and played at the Omni Coliseum. In 1994 the ...

in 1992-93 and the

Adirondack Red Wings The Adirondack Red Wings were a minor professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League. They played in Glens Falls, New York, United States at the Glens Falls Civic Center. The team was affiliated with the Detroit Red Wings of the Natio ...

two years later.

Records

Johnstown Chiefs

*Goals Scored, Regular Season: 68 (1991–92) *Goals Scored, Regular Season/Playoffs (1991–92) *Goals Per Game Average, Season: 1.06 (1991–92) *Points Scored, Regular Season: 117 (1991–92) *Hat Tricks, Season: 7 (1991–92) *50 goals in 50 games (1991–92)

Utica Blizzard

*Goals Scored, Regular season: 71 (1994–95)

Awards

*Colonial League MVP Trophy (1994–95)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Green, Mark 1967 births 2004 suicides 2004 deaths Adirondack Red Wings players American men's ice hockey left wingers Atlanta Knights players Fayetteville Force players Johnstown Chiefs players Louisville Icehawks players Macon Whoopee (CHL) players Saginaw Lumber Kings players South Carolina Stingrays players Suicides by hanging in New York (state) Utica Blizzard players Winnipeg Jets (1979–1996) draft picks Ice hockey players from New York (state)