Tuesday afternoon, Mike Grier, 47, made history when he was officially introduced as the San Jose Sharks’ new General Manager, making him the first Black GM in NHL history.
Grier, the fifth general manager in franchise history, has a long career in the sport as a player, scout, coach, and executive.
And it was a history-making career before today’s news.
A native of Detroit, Mike Grier went to play college hockey at Boston University. In his three seasons with the Terriers, he amassed 120 points (59 goals, 61 assists) in 114 games. In 1995, he helped lead the team to an NCAA Championship and won back-to-back Hockey East Championships. After that season, Grier was named to the All-Hockey East First Team, selected to the Division I AHCA All-American Team, won the Walter Brown Award as the best U.S.-born collegiate player in New England and was a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, awarded to the top collegiate hockey player.
He was drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the ninth round (219th overall) of the 1993 NHL Draft but his rights were traded to the Edmonton Oilers.
Grier continued playing for the Terriers and was selected as the team’s captain for the 1995-96 season. But after he earned a spot on the Oilers, he decided to forgo his final season at BU.
Mike Grier made his NHL debut with the Oilers on October 4th, 1996, and made history at that moment by becoming the first African American born and trained player in the U.S. to play in the NHL.
In his fourteen-year NHL career (1996-2011), Grier played for the Oilers, Washington, Toronto, Buffalo, and San Jose. He rose to become one of the league’s best defensive players, helping teams like the Sharks and Sabres improve defensively almost immediately. He also collected 383 points (162 points, 221 assists).
After finishing his professional career, Grier entered coaching at the high school level.
In 2014, he became a scout for the Chicago Blackhawks and then moved to New Jersey as an assistant coach with the Devils in 2018.
Over the last two seasons, he worked with the New York Rangers as a hockey operations advisor. There Grier helped in hockey-related decisions and off-ice player development. He also worked across the Rangers organization including in their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolf Pack.
His career both on and off the ice prepared him for his new role.
But it was his father and brother who paved the path for him to follow.
Mike’s father, Bobby, is a long-time NFL executive who spent time in scouting, player personnel and as an advisor with the Patriots and Texans. He’s currently a consultant with the Miami Dolphins, where his other son, Chris, has served as the team’s GM since 2016.
Chris started as a scout with the Patriots in 1995 before moving to and rising up in the Dolphins organization.
And it’s his family, including his father, brother, his wife Ann and his three kids (son Jayden and Tristan, and daughter Brooklyn) who he thanked with the most sincere emotion in his press conference today.
“I’d like to thank my dad, Bobby, and my brother, Chris, as well. Your love and support, wisdom, guidance, have helped me through this process and I have learned so much from you over the years,” said Grier. “Not just from a sports perspective, but more importantly, how to treat people. Unknowingly you have been preparing for this job since I was ten years old.”
This is what stands out the most about Mike Grier.
His connection with his family.
He addressed all of the questions asked, from what his first moves will be to what he will do about Russian players now that the country is facing sanctions from multiple countries including the U.S.
He understands his position as an NHL history maker.
“It means a lot to me. It’s not something I take lightly,” said Grier. “I realize there’s a responsibility that comes with the territory. But I’m up for it and how I carry myself and how the organization carries themselves, I think we will do well and leave a good footprint and open some doors for others to follow.”
Mike Grier also recognizes the impact of his role and the responsibility he carries.
“My job is to do the best I can for the San Jose Sharks organization, and if I do that hopefully it will open the door to give other opportunities to minorities to get in front office positions and maybe lead a team down the road as well,” said Grier.
But it was his acknowledgment of his family that showed what type of man, and GM, Mike Grier will be.
And that’s a nod to how he was raised and how his relationship with Anne, which extends back to BU, shaped his life.
So congrats to Mike Grier, who has made hockey history twice.
