After suffering an early season concussion, Winnipeg Jets draft pick and Manitoba Moose defenceman Luke Green has only appeared in 11 games this season. But hockey isn’t the only thing he’s missing with his twin brother Matt back home playing in Nova Scotia.
For their entire hockey careers, the fraternal twins were inseparable. From the first moment they laced up the skates, the two were teammates.
“He’s my best friend,” Luke said. “Yeah, we literally played together our whole lives – every team.”
After more than a decade as teammates in minor hockey, the time came for the twins to go their separate ways until they were both drafted by the same junior team, the QMJHL’s Saint John Sea Dogs.
“So I went a little before him,” Luke said. “And I was almost relieved, and once he got drafted, I could have a sigh of relief.”
“That’s definitely one of the best moments of my hockey career so far.”
“Got even closer, really,” Matt said. “I mean seeing each other 24-7, it was good to always have someone to go through everything with.”
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Even though Luke is a defenceman, while Matt plays forward, the sibling rivalry always pushed each other to greater heights.
“I definitely credit him for keeping me on the right track,” Luke said. “We pushed each other from day one. I feel like we were always competing against each other. I wanted to better than Matt, and vice versa. I think that’s one of the things that made us play at such a high level.”
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The Jets selected Luke in the third round, 79th overall in the 2016 NHL Draft. Last season was the first they didn’t play together. Matt is now a member of the Maritime Hockey League’s Amherst Ramblers. So it’s been a bit of an adjustment for the now 21-year-olds to be separated by half a continent.
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“It was a big change,” Matt said. “Just going to the rink with him every day. Even just living with him – that was the biggest change. I go from seeing him every day in my life to not seeing him at all.”
“We still talk, like every day, FaceTime almost every day. He’s my best friend so I talk to him quite a bit.”
“I definitely miss it,” Luke said. “It was always so much fun playing with him.”
“I definitely cherish that a lot because we were always told – it’s not going to last forever. And obviously it didn’t, but every day going to the rink with your best friend, and playing a game you love. It was pretty special.”
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