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 player. He played as a winger. Today, he is the general manager for the San Jose Sharks in the National Hockey League (NHL).
Mike Grier played for teams like the Edmonton Oilers, Washington Capitals, Buffalo Sabres, and San Jose Sharks. 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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Mike Grier's Early Life
Mike Grier grew up in Holliston, Massachusetts. He played hockey at St. Sebastian's School. His family has a strong connection to sports.
His Family's Sports Background
Mike's father, Bobby Grier, worked in the National Football League (NFL). He was involved with scouting and player personnel for teams like the Houston Texans and New England Patriots.
Mike's brother, Chris, is also a general manager in the NFL. He has been the general manager for the Miami Dolphins since 2016. Another famous athlete in his family is Pro Bowl NFL player Roosevelt "Rosey" Grier.
Mike Grier's Playing Career
Mike Grier was first chosen by the St. Louis Blues in the 1993 NHL Entry Draft. He was picked in the ninth round. Many thought it would be hard for him to make an NHL team.
College Hockey and First NHL Team
Grier played hockey at Saint Sebastian's School and then at Boston University. In 1994–95, he had his best college season. He was named a first team all-star. While at Boston University, his NHL rights were traded to the Edmonton Oilers.
After college, Grier joined the Oilers right away. He played as a right-winger on a "checking line." This means his main job was to stop the other team's best players. He scored 32 points in his first season.
During his time in Edmonton, Grier was involved in an incident with another player, Chris Simon, which led to Simon being suspended. Grier played six seasons with the Oilers. In two of those seasons, he scored twenty goals.
Moving to Other NHL Teams
In 2002, Grier was traded to the Washington Capitals. He played with the Capitals for a while. He was a reliable player who helped stop the other team's attacks.
In 2004, Washington traded Grier to the Buffalo Sabres. He finished that season with Buffalo. In the 2005–06 season, Grier scored four game-winning goals for the Sabres. He helped them reach the Eastern Conference Finals in the playoffs.
After that, Grier signed with the San Jose Sharks. In his first season with the Sharks, he scored 16 goals. He scored nine and ten goals in his next two seasons there.
Returning to Buffalo and Retirement
On August 10, 2009, Grier went back to the Buffalo Sabres as a free agent. He was very good at killing penalties for both the Sharks and the Sabres. Penalty killing is when a team has fewer players on the ice but stops the other team from scoring.
On November 3, 2010, Grier played his 1,000th NHL game. This is a big achievement for any player. He was the 254th player in NHL history to reach this milestone. Grier announced his retirement from the NHL on December 1, 2011.
After Playing Hockey
After retiring from playing, Mike Grier stayed involved in hockey.
Early Roles in Hockey
Grier worked as a scout for the Chicago Blackhawks. He also served as an assistant coach for the New Jersey Devils. On May 19, 2021, he joined the New York Rangers as a hockey operations advisor.
He also coached hockey at Saint Sebastian's School, where he played as a student. 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 Play
| 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
