Sharks reportedly to name Mike Grier as general manager

The writing was on the wall that the search for the next general of the San Jose Sharks was coming to a close. Prior to the holiday weekend, the team informed Bob Boughner and his coaching staff that they would be relieved of their duties. With just a few candidates remaining, it signaled that perhaps those candidates didn’t want their first act to be firing a coach well-liked in the dressing room, or at least that none of them would be interested in moving forward with Boughner. Regardless, finally pulling the trigger on that move meant a decision must be on the horizon.

The 2022 NHL Entry Draft is ever looming too, taking place this Thursday and Friday in Montreal, Quebec.

This afternoon, the Sharks announced a press conference will be held tomorrow morning to introduce the next general manager of the organization. Per ESPN’s Kevin Weekes — whose own name was tossed around in the rumor mill for the position — the new hire is former Sharks winger Mike Grier. He will make history as the first Black general manager in the history of the NHL.

**Breaking News** 🚨 📰
I’m told Mike Grier will be named the new GM of the @SanJoseSharks tomorrow. He becomes the first Black Person in over 100 years of @NHL Hockey to make history in doing so.@espn #HockeyTwitter pic.twitter.com/wbGcLlU7qX

— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) July 5, 2022

The 47-year-old Grier is a Detroit, Michigan native, drafted in the ninth round of the 1993 draft by the St. Louis Blues. His rights were traded to the Edmonton Oilers while he played in Hockey East with Boston University. Grier went on to play 1060 NHL games over 14 years with the Oilers, Washington Capitals, Buffalo Sabres and Sharks. He retired from playing in 2011, and has since served in assistant coaching roles, and most recently as a hockey operations advisor for the New York Rangers.

Both Grier’s father and brother have held front office positions in the National Football League. His older brother, Chris, has been general manager of the Miami Dolphins since 2016.

The press conference is to be held tomorrow morning at 11 a.m. PT/2 p.m. ET, hosted by Sharks President Jonathan Becher, as well as Joe Will, who is once again only referred to as Assistant General Manager in the official release, hopefully a sign that he will be remaining with the club under Grier. Streaming will be available on the Sharks + SAP Center app, as well as the Sharks website, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and NBCSports California. Audio will be available on the Sharks Audio Network, including a post-conference show.