Mike Grier

Mike Grier
Mike Grier
Born January 5, 1975 (1975-01-05) (age 36)
Detroit, MI, USA
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight 227 lb (103 kg; 16 st 3 lb)
Position Right wing
Shoots Right
NHL team
Former teams
free agent
Edmonton Oilers
Washington Capitals
San Jose Sharks
Buffalo Sabres
National team  United States
NHL Draft 219th overall, 1993
St. Louis Blues
Playing career 1996present

Michael James Grier (born January 5, 1975) is a professional ice hockey winger who most recently played for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL) and is currently a free agent. He has also played professionally for the Edmonton Oilers, Washington Capitals, and San Jose Sharks. With the 199697 season, Grier became the NHL's first African-American player born and trained in the United States.[1]

Contents

Early years

His father is Bobby Grier, who is the Associate Director of Pro Personnel for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). Prior to that, Bobby Grier was a running back 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.) Mike's brother is Chris Grier, Director of College Scouting for the Miami Dolphins. Another notable athlete in his family is Pro Bowl NFL Defensive Lineman Roosevelt "Rosey" Grier.[citation needed]

Grier was raised in the Boston area, where he attended and played hockey at St. Sebastian's School.

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[citation needed] 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 199495, 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 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 the incident.[2] 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; however, Simon was traded to Chicago after playing 10 games in the 200203 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.

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 200506 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 signed with the Buffalo Sabres.

Grier's biggest contribution to the San Jose Sharks and Buffalo Sabres has been his penalty killing ability. San Jose ranked 14th, 1st, and 4th in penalty killing in the three years Grier played with the team. In the 200910 season, Buffalo was second overall in the NHL in penalty killing. Grier has been a part of the top penalty killing units for these teams.

Grier is also known for his toughness, separating his shoulder and having it popped back in on numerous occasions before finally electing for surgery.[citation needed]

Grier played his 1000th NHL game on November 3, 2010, against the Boston Bruins, becoming the 254th player in NHL history to reach the milestone.[3]

Awards

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
199293 St. Sebastian's School ISL 22 16 27 43 32
199394 Boston U. Terriers HE 39 9 9 18 58
199495 Boston U. Terriers HE 37 19 26 45 85
199596 Boston U. Terriers HE 38 21 26 47 82
199697 Edmonton Oilers NHL 79 15 17 32 45 12 3 1 4 4
199798 Edmonton Oilers NHL 66 9 6 15 73 12 2 2 4 13
199899 Edmonton Oilers NHL 82 20 24 44 54 4 1 1 2 6
199900 Edmonton Oilers NHL 65 9 22 31 68
200001 Edmonton Oilers NHL 74 20 16 36 20 6 0 0 0 8
200102 Edmonton Oilers NHL 82 8 17 25 32
200203 Washington Capitals NHL 82 15 17 32 36 6 1 1 2 2
200304 Washington Capitals NHL 68 8 12 20 32
200304 Buffalo Sabres NHL 14 1 8 9 4
200506 Buffalo Sabres NHL 81 7 16 23 28 18 3 5 8 2
200607 San Jose Sharks NHL 81 16 17 33 43 11 2 2 4 27
200708 San Jose Sharks NHL 78 9 13 22 24 13 0 1 1 2
200809 San Jose Sharks NHL 62 10 13 23 25 6 0 0 0 6
200910 Buffalo Sabres NHL 73 10 12 22 14 6 2 0 2 2
201011 Buffalo Sabres NHL 73 5 11 16 12 7 0 1 1 0
NHL totals 1060 162 221 383 510 101 14 14 28 72
Medal record
Competitor for  United States
Ice hockey
World Championships
Bronze 2004 Prague

International

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

See also

  • List of ice hockey players of black African descent
  • List of NHL players with 1000 games played

References

External links


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