Black History - Black Hockey Players #2 - Mike Grier

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I started this back in March to keep Black History Month going in the best way I knew how: making it hockey-related by answering the oft-asked question, "Are there any black hockey players?" There have been quite a few since Willie O'Ree broke the NHL color barrier in 1957. I'm counting down, in no particular order, ten of them. We are at #2: Mike Grier. Born in Detroit, Mike Grier was a hard-working right winger who played in the National Hockey League for 14 years, most notably for the Edmonton Oilers, where he played for six seasons, as well as the Washington Capitals, Buffalo Sabres, and the San Jose Sharks. Grier was a hard hitter, fast, and able to score goals when needed. Near the end of his career, Grier became a top-notch penalty killer, playing on the top penalty killing units for the Sharks and the Sabers (during his three years with San Jose, the Sharks penalty kill ranked 14th, 1st, and 4th in the NHL, during the 2009-2010 season, Buffalo had the 2nd ranked penalty kill in the league.) Mike Grier played in 1060 NHL regular season games, and 101 playoff games. He scored 162 regular season goals (and 14 in the playoffs,) dished out 221 assists (14 playoffs,) and served 510 penalty minutes (72 in the post-season.) As a member of the United States international team, Grier earned a Bronze Medal at the 2004 World Championships. He is currently an assistant coach for the New Jersey Devils. Basically, Mike Grier was a solid, dependable player. Of the many, many guys that have played in the National Hockey League over the decades, not many have played 1000 games. That in itself is quite the achievement. Oddly, considering his popularity in the cities in which he played, other than a few videos of some of his fights, there aren't really any highlights available. I've attached a video of the Sabers honoring Grier for his 1000th NHL game. I've been to a few of these types of ceremonies, and they are pretty cool to see in person. Enjoy! (Info verified by Wikipedia)