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	1996–present

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 1996–97 season, Grier became the NHL's first African-American player born and trained in the United States.^[1]

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 1994–95, 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 2002–03 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 2005–06 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 2009–10 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

• 1994–95: East First All-American Team (NCAA)
• 1994–95: First All-Star Team (Hockey East)
• 2004: Bronze medal (2004 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships)

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 U. Terriers	HE		39	9	9	18	58		—	—	—	—	—
1994–95	Boston U. Terriers	HE		37	19	26	45	85		—	—	—	—	—
1995–96	Boston U. Terriers	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
1999–00	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				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

1. ^ http://www.usatoday.com/sports/hockey/nhl/2008-01-14-cover-oree_N.htm
2. ^ Simon suspended for hitting player with stick
3. ^ http://sabres.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=542338

External links

• Mike Grier's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database
• Mike Grier at Hockey-Reference.com
• Mike Grier's NHL player profile
• Mike Grier at TSN.ca

Persondata
Name	Grier, Mike
Alternative names
Short description	American ice hockey player
Date of birth	5 January 1975
Place of birth	Detroit, Michigan, United States
Date of death
Place of death