Mike Grier
Grier with the San Jose Sharks in 2007
Born (1975-01-05) January 5, 1975
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 227 lb (103 kg; 16 st 3 lb)
Position Right wing
Shot Right
Played for Edmonton Oilers
Washington Capitals
Buffalo Sabres
San Jose Sharks
National team  United States
NHL Draft 219th overall, 1993
St. Louis Blues
Playing career 1996–2011

Michael James Grier (born January 5, 1975) is an American former professional ice hockey winger and current general manager of the San Jose Sharks in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Edmonton Oilers, Washington Capitals, Buffalo Sabres, and San Jose Sharks. Primarily a checking forward, he played 1,060 games over 14 seasons. He was the first African-American NHL player to train exclusively in the United States, and the league's first black general manager.[1][2][3]

Early years

Grier's father Bobby was the associate director of Pro Scouting for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). Prior to that, Bobby Grier was a running backs coach, director of pro scouting, and vice-president of player personnel for the New England Patriots of the NFL. (The elder Grier should not be confused with the Bobby Grier who broke the color barrier in the 1956 Sugar Bowl.) Grier's brother Chris currently serves as the general manager for the Miami Dolphins, a position he has held since 2016.[1] Another notable athlete in the family is Pro Bowl NFL defensive lineman Roosevelt "Rosey" Grier.[4]

Grier was raised in Holliston, Massachusetts, where he attended and played hockey at St. Sebastian's School. He is of Barbadian descent.[5]

Playing career

Grier was originally drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the ninth round (219th overall) of the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, and was considered a long-shot to make an NHL team. He spent his early playing days with Saint Sebastian's School and later with Boston University, culminating in his best amateur season in 1994–95, where he was named a first team all-star. During his time at BU, Grier's NHL rights were dealt to the Edmonton Oilers along with star goaltender Curtis Joseph in exchange for a pair of first round picks.

After leaving college, Grier immediately cracked the Oilers lineup as a checking-line right-winger, scoring 32 points and bearing a respectable +7 plus-minus rating. During his time in Edmonton, Grier was best known for provoking Chris Simon of the Washington Capitals in 1997. Grier allegedly made derogatory comments about Simon's Ojibwa heritage, and Simon allegedly responded with a racial slur directed at Grier, and struck him in the head with his stick. Although the spoken words were never confirmed, Simon was suspended three games as a result of using his stick to hit Grier.[6][7] Grier played six seasons with the Oilers organization, including two in which he scored twenty goals.

On October 2, 2002, in order to free up roster space, Grier was traded to the Washington Capitals for a pair of draft choices. Incidentally, this put Grier and Simon on the same team for a short time. Simon was traded to Chicago after playing 10 games in the 2002–03 season. The Capitals attempted to put a Stanley Cup-caliber team together, primarily built around star forward Jaromír Jágr and goaltender Olaf Kölzig. The team disappointed on the ice, although Grier remained a reliable checking player.

This did not last long, as Washington traded Grier on March 4, 2004, to the Buffalo Sabres for Czech prospect Jakub Klepiš. Grier finished the season with Buffalo, scoring nine points, but the Sabres failed to make the playoffs. During the 2005–06 NHL season, Grier set a personal record, scoring four game-winning goals for the Sabres and contributing to their run to the 2006 Eastern Conference Finals. Grier was then signed to a free agent deal by the San Jose Sharks, where he recorded 16 goals, including three shorthanded, in his first season with San Jose. He scored nine and 10 goals in his next two seasons with the Sharks, respectively.

On August 10, 2009, Grier returned to the Buffalo Sabres as a free agent.

Grier's biggest contribution to the Sharks and Sabres was his penalty-killing ability. San Jose ranked 14th, 1st, and 4th in penalty killing in the three years he played there. In the 2009–10 season, Buffalo was second overall in the NHL in penalty killing. He was in the top penalty-killing units of both teams.

Grier played his 1,000th NHL game on November 3, 2010, against the Boston Bruins, becoming the 254th player in NHL history to reach the milestone.[8] After not being re-signed by Buffalo for the 2011–12 season, Grier announced his retirement from the NHL on December 1, 2011.[9]

Post-playing career

Early roles

After retiring, Grier served as a scout with the Chicago Blackhawks and an assistant coach with the New Jersey Devils before he was hired by the New York Rangers as hockey operations advisor on May 19, 2021.[10]

Grier also coached at Saint Sebastian's School, where he played his high school hockey. He also coached his son's Boston Jr. Terriers 03 AAA team.

San Jose Sharks general manager (2022–present)

On July 5, 2022, Grier became the general manager of the San Jose Sharks.[11] This move made him the first black general manager in NHL history.[1]

Awards and honors

Medal record
Representing  United States
Ice hockey
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place2004 Prague
Award Year
All-Hockey East All-Star 1994–95
AHCA East First-Team All-American 1994–95

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1992–93 St. Sebastian's School ISL 2216274332 —————
1993–94 Boston University HE 39991858 —————
1994–95 Boston University HE 3719264585 —————
1995–96 Boston University HE 3821264782 —————
1996–97 Edmonton Oilers NHL 7915173245 123144
1997–98 Edmonton Oilers NHL 66961573 1222413
1998–99 Edmonton Oilers NHL 8220244454 41126
1999–2000 Edmonton Oilers NHL 659223168 —————
2000–01 Edmonton Oilers NHL 7420163620 60008
2001–02 Edmonton Oilers NHL 828172532 —————
2002–03 Washington Capitals NHL 8215173236 61122
2003–04 Washington Capitals NHL 688122032 —————
2003–04 Buffalo Sabres NHL 141894 —————
2005–06 Buffalo Sabres NHL 817162328 183582
2006–07 San Jose Sharks NHL 8116173343 1122427
2007–08 San Jose Sharks NHL 789132224 130112
2008–09 San Jose Sharks NHL 6210132325 60006
2009–10 Buffalo Sabres NHL 7310122214 62022
2010–11 Buffalo Sabres NHL 735111612 70110
NHL totals 1,060162221383510 10114142872

International

Year Team Event   GP G A Pts PIM
1995 United States WJC 702212
2004 United States WC 91238
Junior totals 7 0 2 2 12
Senior totals 9 1 2 3 8

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Dubow, Josh. "Sharks make NHL history with Mike Grier becoming 1st Black general manager". CBC Sports. The Associated Press. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  2. ↑ Allen, Kevin (January 14, 2008). "Willie O'Ree still blazing way in NHL 50 years later". USA Today. Retrieved January 26, 2012.
  3. ↑ The first African American in the NHL, Val James, played two years of junior hockey in Quebec.
  4. ↑ Nowels, Michael; Simon, Alex (July 5, 2022). "5 things to know about new Sharks GM Mike Grier". The Mercury News. Retrieved July 6, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Mike Grier". www.hockeyarchives.info.
  6. ↑ "Simon suspended for hitting player with stick". Sports.espn.go.com. March 10, 2007. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  7. ↑ "Mike Grier, First American Born Black NHL Player". Regalmag.com. July 2, 2009. Archived from the original on December 12, 2013. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  8. ↑ "Notebook: Sabres Prep For Boston | Nhl.Com". Sabres.nhl.com. Retrieved October 18, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Mike Grier retires after 14 seasons". ESPN.com. December 1, 2011. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Mike Grier Named Hockey Operations Advisor". NHL.com. May 19, 2021. Retrieved May 20, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Mike Grier Named to become first Black GM of the NHL". sportsnet.com. July 4, 2022. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
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