Official capacity
BC's Justin Greene taking path more suited to referee
It would filter in from outside their Plymouth home, the pleasing sound of children playing, and John and Grace Greene would give thanks.
But kids being kids, the sound sometimes turned contentious, and as the yelling became louder and the disagreement more unpleasant, the Greenes would shake their heads.
"You'd look out in the driveway and [the kids] would be playing and it would never fail -- there would be Justin waving the goal off," said John Greene of the middle of his three sons.
And if it were summer and the noise was coming from the backyard? John Greene would turn to a different window to see the kids playing a different sport, but with similar circumstances: Justin in the middle of things.
"Even in Wiffle ball," said younger brother Matt, "he'd stop in the middle of the game and sit behind the catcher to call balls and strikes. In Wiffle ball."
John Greene can laugh now. So, too, can Matt, and Justin Greene concedes they have reason to.
"I'd be outside, whether it was baseball or hockey, and I'd have a whistle in my hand. I'd be refereeing the hockey or umpiring the baseball," said Justin. "My father would always yell to me, 'Get out there with the stick and play the game.' "
So, Justin Greene would pick up the stick and play the game.
But he wouldn't put down the whistle.
"I guess," said John Greene, laughing, "it was always in is blood."
It's just that of all his fellow Eagles, Crimson, Terriers, or Huskies, Greene has perhaps the most promising future in hockey -- colored black and white for an official.
"He's above the curve, no question," said Gene Binda, who supervises officials for a variety of junior leagues in the area. "From the start he had a phenomenal skating ability and a great knowledge of the game. He's moved right up the ranks."
And as he has progressed from a youth hockey player to a high school star to a member of the BC program, Greene has done nothing but win over people along the way.
"I know he made our program better," said BC High hockey coach Joe McCabe, whose Eagles won the Super 8 state title in Greene's junior year. "He was a great leader on and off the ice. If you give him a chance, he's going to rise and he's going to shine."
"He makes a point of coming down before any game he's at," said Hockey East official Tom Quinn. "He's the nicest kid, always polite, always asking questions and making observations."
"We get excited for him now," said John Greene, "to see how it possibly could turn into something he really wants, something he has a passion for."
Added Jerry York, BC's head coach: "He's been a great part of our team, even though he hasn't played much. He helps our practice sessions because he'll jump into all different situations, and he's got a great disposition."
It was back in 2003 when York and his assistants realized Greene was determined to attend Boston College. If it presented the makings of an awkward situation -- it was Matt Greene, a year younger, who was being recruited by BC, not Justin -- it was made easier by York's honesty and Justin Greene's grasp of perspective.
"They told me coming in that throughout my four years here I'd maybe play four games," said Justin Greene, who has played in nine -- eight his sophomore season, one as a junior. "I've surpassed that, which I'm thankful for.
"Of course, everyone wants to play, and I had another choice, Saint Anselm. But to play for Coach York is every kid's dream, and to be part of this program, which has an opportunity to win a national championship, is just something special."
That hits on a crucial part to his story, for no matter what sort of sense you derive from statistics, there is no doubt Justin Greene is a valued member of the BC program. Since the fall of 2003 he has suited up for every practice, lifted weights, and met every request heaped upon him by the coaches.
"Being a senior and having not played all that many games, I know what my role is," said Greene, a defenseman. "My role is to go out and practice every day and push the guys to get better."
Never, he said, did it occur to him that he should pack up and go elsewhere for a chance to play.
"It's nice to have him here," said Matt Greene, a junior forward for the Eagles. "If you're still playing at this stage of your life, you really love the game. At some point you wish there'd be a payoff, but for Justin I don't think it's a regrettable decision at all because [BC] is such a great place to be."
Already, Justin Greene has been part of two Frozen Four teams. But most of all, his involvement with a Hockey East team affords him the chance to watch premier college hockey and to study the game officials with whom he identifies. Not that that always has been the case, however, and to illustrate, John Greene recalls the day it reached a crossroads.
"He tended to get a lot of penalties and all I would hear on the way home were complaints about the officials," said the elder Greene. "Driving home from a Metro game one day, I actually pulled the car over and asked him if he could ever remember one legitimate call against him. Could he give me just one?"
Justin Greene laughs at the memory.
"He was right. I had never committed a penalty, as far as I was concerned. So my father insisted I go to a seminar," said Justin.
If John Greene sent his son to the all-day classes to make a point, consider it one of the great investments a parent has made. Justin brought home the official's test and soon was in contact with Warren "Skip" Church, a supervisor of officials with USA/Mass. Hockey. He officiated his first game when he was 14, a low-key bantam game at the FleetCenter in which Matt played, and it didn't take him long to learn a perspective that is lost on many fans.
"For sure, it's a lot easier to call a game from the stands," said Justin.
What hasn't been easy has been Greene's commitment to two sides of his hockey passion -- that of a player and an aspiring official. Throughout his four years at BC High, Greene not only served as a team leader for a dominating program (the Eagles were undefeated his senior year, only to lose to Catholic Memorial in the Super 8 final, "and that still hurts," he said), he maintained a steady workload as an official, which only intensified when he moved on to Boston College.
He has become one of Binda's most devoted and capable officials.
"He gave me a chance and I'll never be able to thank him enough," said Greene, who has had temptation tossed his way to perhaps leave the BC program and devote himself to officiating. In Binda, he found counsel.
"I sat down with him three years ago. I told him to enjoy the moment; he's getting a BC background," said Binda, who expects Greene to be a college referee as early as next year. "I told him to have a good college career because he's going to have an exceptional professional career."
More personal was his first appearance for Boston College, his sophomore year against Merrimack, and Greene earned an assist on Mike Brennan's winning goal. Greene played that night as a forward, on a line with Matt, then a freshman, and people perhaps will never realize how much that meant.
"Matt and I have a great relationship; he's actually helped me get through these four years. That was part of the reason I came here, to have a chance to watch him play," said Justin, who shrugs off a suggestion that it would be tough to sit while your younger brother played.
"I don't think it's tough at all. I think it's awesome," he said, and John Greene seconds that sentiment.
"They're very good friends," said their father. "I wish every parent could enjoy what we've had with them."
Of course, there is the lighter side to that, like the semifinal game of the Hockey East tournament his sophomore year when Justin again was on a line with Matt. At least for a short time.
"The first two shifts, I had two penalties," said Justin. "Needless to say, [Matt] wasn't too happy with me because we saw the end of the bench most of the game. When I do commit a penalty, people look at me like, 'Why are you committing a penalty? You're an official. You should know the rules.' "
But what they are looking at is Justin Greene the lifelong hockey player. "It's still a game and I'm competitive and you're trying to get into different positions," he said.
Justin Greene the official? It is there, perhaps, that he shows a passion for the game that his contemporaries will never be able to equal. Working games in the Eastern Junior Hockey League, driving from rink to rink at all hours while also keeping his commitments to York's program and his education? It is a labor of love and a study in discipline and character.
"We use him as a reference point during the season," said York. "We'll see things on film and say, 'Justin, what do you think of that call?' "
His teammates will wait for a reply, but if Greene feels the pressure, he's got that tough referee's skin already, and can ignore their stares and pleas. He knows the game and is committed to his convictions.
"Guys will ask, 'Was that a penalty?' They won't always like my answer, but it's another way to be part of things, to bring something else to the team," he said.
Another Beanpot is about to unfold, after which there will be a closing stretch of important games, then a postseason that players throughout New England hope will conclude with a trip to the Frozen Four. By early April, all of the hockey will be over; by May, so, too, will Justin Greene's four-year BC odyssey.
It's one he wouldn't go back and change no matter what, but there is a future mapped out, one that includes his trusty skates, a whistle that has been part of his being since he can remember, and a game he hopes will last forever.
"People don't understand why I like it so much, but to have half the place booing you gets you excited," said Greene. "Most kids in my position have a dream to play in the Stanley Cup. My dream is to have a chance to referee Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals."
Jim McCabe can be reached at jmccabe@globe.com. 
