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Mike Grier
Mikegrier
Position Right wing
Shoots Right
Height
Weight
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
227 lb (103 kg)
NHL Team
F. Teams
Buffalo Sabres
San Jose Sharks
Edmonton Oilers
Washington Capitals
Nationality Flag of the United States American
Born (1975-01-05)January 5, 1975,
Detroit, MI, U.S.
NHL Draft 219th overall, 1993
St. Louis Blues
Pro Career 1996 – present

Mike Grier (born January 5, 1975 in Detroit, Michigan) is a professional ice hockey forward who currently plays for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League. He has also played professionally for the Edmonton Oilers, Washington Capitals, and San Jose Sharks.

Early years[]

His father is Bobby Grier, former NFL running back coach and current Associate Director of Pro Scouting for the Houston Texans. The elder Grier is not to be confused with the famous Bobby Grier, who played with the 1956 Pitt Panthers as the first African-American football player to break the color barrier in a College Bowl Game. His uncle is former NFL great Rosey Grier and he is related to actress Pam Grier.

Playing career[]

Grier was originally drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the ninth round of the 1993 NHL Entry Draft, and was considered a long-shot to make an NHL team. He spent his early playing days with Saint Sebastian's School and then later Boston University, culminating in his best amateur season in 1994-1995, 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 +/- rating. He would go on to play six seasons with the Oiler's organization, including two where he scored twenty goals.

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. Although the spoken words were never confirmed, Simon was suspended three games as a result of the incident. The two were later teammates for a brief time in 2002 with the Washington Capitals. He was also known for his toughness, separating his shoulder and having it popped back in on numerous occasions before finally electing for surgery.

On October 2, 2002, Grier was traded to free up roster space to the Washington Capitals for a pair of draft choices.

The Capitals attempted to put a Stanley Cup-caliber team together, primarily built around star forward Jaromír Jágr and goaltender Olaf Kölzig, but the team disappointed on the ice, although Grier remained a reliable checker player. Washington traded him on March 4, 2004 to the Buffalo Sabres for European prospect Jakub Klepis. He finished the season with Buffalo, scoring nine points despite the Sabres failing to make the playoffs. During the 2005-06 NHL Season, Grier set a personal record, scoring 4 game winning goals for the Sabres and contributing during 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 3 shorthanded, in his first season with San Jose. He scored 9 and 10 goals in his next two seasons with the Sharks, respectively.

On August 10th, 2009 Mike Grier signed with the Buffalo Sabres.

Awards[]

Career statistics[]

    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
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
1999–00 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
NHL totals 987 157 210 367 498 94 14 13 27 72

International play[]

Played for the United States in:

International statistics[]

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

References[]


External links[]

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