The San Jose Sharks made Mike Grier the first black general manager in NHL history.
Grier takes the job that became vacant when Doug Wilson stepped down for health reasons earlier this year.
He spent 3 of his 14 NHL seasons with the Sharks, from 2006 to 2009, and over the past decade has held various coaching and scouting roles in the league. He was until recently an advisor to hockey operations for the New York Rangers.
Grier’s candidacy was finally selected, after a lengthy search that included dozens of candidates and lasted nearly three months since it began when Wilson announced he was stepping down on April 7. Wilson had taken leave in November.
The barrier-breaking hire comes less than a week after interim general manager Joe Will announced that head coach Bob Boughner and three of his assistants would not return next season. Will explained that he had made this decision two months after the end of the season to give free rein to the new general manager.
Strong challenge
Grier’s task in San Jose, rebuilding a team that missed the playoffs in three consecutive seasons for the first time in franchise history, promises to be difficult.
The new GM will have to get to work quickly, hire a new coach as well as take care of the draft Thursday and Friday and the free agent market next week. The Sharks have the 11e first-round choice.
Grier comes from a family of successful sports leaders. His brother, Chris, is the general manager of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, and his father, Bobby, was a long-time coach and board member of the New England Patriots and Houston Texans.
Grier opted for hockey instead, playing 1,060 NHL games with the Edmonton Oilers, Washington Capitals, Buffalo Sabers and Sharks. He has totaled 162 career goals and 221 assists.