Mike Grier facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mike Grier |
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Grier with the San Jose Sharks in 2007
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| Born | January 5, 1975 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
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| 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 |
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| National team |  United States |
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| NHL Draft | 219th overall, 1993 St. Louis Blues |
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| 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.
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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 United States |
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| 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
- Black players in ice hockey
- List of NHL players with 1,000 games played
