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Mike Grier
Mike Grier Sharks.jpg
Grier with the San Jose Sharks in 2007
Born (1975-01-05) January 5, 1975 (age 50)
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 Flag of the United States.svg 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. He is now the 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.

Mike Grier was known as a "checking forward." This means he focused on stopping the other team from scoring. He played 1,060 games over 14 seasons. He was the first African-American NHL player to train only in the United States. He also became the league's first black general manager.

Early Life and Family

Mike Grier grew up in Holliston, Massachusetts. He played hockey at St. Sebastian's School. His family has many athletes.

His father, Bobby Grier, worked for NFL teams. He was a director of scouting and player personnel. Mike's brother, Chris, is the general manager for the Miami Dolphins. Another famous athlete in his family is Pro Bowl NFL player Roosevelt "Rosey" Grier.

Playing in the NHL

Mike Grier was first chosen by the St. Louis Blues in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. He was picked in the ninth round, 219th overall. Many thought it would be hard for him to make an NHL team.

He played for Saint Sebastian's School and then Boston University. In 1994–95, he had his best amateur season. He was named a first team all-star. While at Boston University, his NHL rights were traded to the Edmonton Oilers.

Starting with the Oilers

After college, Grier joined the Oilers right away. He played as a right-winger on a checking line. He scored 32 points in his first season. He also had a good plus-minus rating of +7.

During his time in Edmonton, Grier was involved in an incident with Chris Simon of the Washington Capitals in 1997. Grier reportedly made comments about Simon's heritage. Simon was suspended for three games after the incident. Grier played six seasons with the Oilers. He scored twenty goals in two of those seasons.

Moving to Other Teams

On October 2, 2002, Grier was traded to the Washington Capitals. This trade put Grier and Simon on the same team for a short time. The Capitals hoped to build a strong team. Grier remained a reliable checking player for them.

On March 4, 2004, Washington traded Grier to the Buffalo Sabres. He finished that season with Buffalo. In the 2005–06 NHL season, Grier set a personal record. He scored four game-winning goals for the Sabres. He helped them reach the Eastern Conference Finals.

Grier then signed with the San Jose Sharks. In his first season with San Jose, he scored 16 goals. Three of these were shorthanded goals. He scored nine and ten goals in his next two seasons with the Sharks.

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

Penalty Killing and Retirement

Grier was very good at "penalty killing." This means he was skilled at preventing goals when his team had fewer players on the ice. San Jose's penalty killing was ranked high when he played there. Buffalo was also second overall in the NHL in penalty killing in 2009–10.

Grier played his 1,000th NHL game on November 3, 2010. This was against the Boston Bruins. He was the 254th player in NHL history to reach this milestone. Mike Grier announced his retirement from the NHL on December 1, 2011.

After Playing Hockey

Early Roles

After retiring, Grier worked as a scout for the Chicago Blackhawks. He was also an assistant coach for the New Jersey Devils. On May 19, 2021, he joined the New York Rangers as a hockey operations advisor.

Grier also coached at Saint Sebastian's School, where he played high school hockey. He coached his son's youth hockey team too.

San Jose Sharks General Manager

On July 5, 2022, Mike Grier became the general manager of the San Jose Sharks. This was a historic moment. He became the first black general manager in NHL history.

Awards and Honors

Medal record
Representing Flag of the United States.svg United States
Ice hockey
World Championships
Bronze 2004 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 22 16 27 43 32
1993–94 Boston University HE 39 9 9 18 58
1994–95 Boston University HE 37 19 26 45 85
1995–96 Boston University HE 38 21 26 47 82
1996–97 Edmonton Oilers NHL 79 15 17 32 45 12 3 1 4 4
1997–98 Edmonton Oilers NHL 66 9 6 15 73 12 2 2 4 13
1998–99 Edmonton Oilers NHL 82 20 24 44 54 4 1 1 2 6
1999–2000 Edmonton Oilers NHL 65 9 22 31 68
2000–01 Edmonton Oilers NHL 74 20 16 36 20 6 0 0 0 8
2001–02 Edmonton Oilers NHL 82 8 17 25 32
2002–03 Washington Capitals NHL 82 15 17 32 36 6 1 1 2 2
2003–04 Washington Capitals NHL 68 8 12 20 32
2003–04 Buffalo Sabres NHL 14 1 8 9 4
2005–06 Buffalo Sabres NHL 81 7 16 23 28 18 3 5 8 2
2006–07 San Jose Sharks NHL 81 16 17 33 43 11 2 2 4 27
2007–08 San Jose Sharks NHL 78 9 13 22 24 13 0 1 1 2
2008–09 San Jose Sharks NHL 62 10 13 23 25 6 0 0 0 6
2009–10 Buffalo Sabres NHL 73 10 12 22 14 6 2 0 2 2
2010–11 Buffalo Sabres NHL 73 5 11 16 12 7 0 1 1 0
NHL totals 1,060 162 221 383 510 101 14 14 28 72

International

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

See also

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