Green grew up in Castlegar, a town of just over 8,000 residents located in the West Kootenay region, 25 kilometers from the Canada-US border. He had two points per game in his final minor hockey season with the Castlegar Rebels before jumping to the Western Hockey League. At age 18, Green had 102 points (51 goals, 51 assists) for the Spokane Chiefs, which led to him being selected by the New York Islanders 23rd overall in the 1989 NHL Draft.
