CBS4's Steve Goldstein on history made in NHL and its ties to South Florida
MIAMI - History has been made in the National Hockey League and the story has many ties to South Florida.
The San Jose Sharks' new General Manager is Mike Grier, the first Black GM in league history.
If the name sounds familiar, it should. Miami Dolphins General Manager Chris Grier is Mike's brother. The Grier brothers' sports ties run deep.
Their father Bobby worked for the New England Patriots as a scout and coach. Bobby was a big hockey fan and Mike was six years old when his father started coaching for the Patriots. Mike chose the hockey path, playing more than 1,000 NHL games and now rising to a GM job. Chris was also a rink rat, a goalie through his teenage years, as the Bruins were a powerhouse team in Boston. Chris is older than Mike so when they played street hockey back in the day, Mike was stuck in goal if he wanted to play with the older kids.
Now, Mike decides who plays goal and every other position as San Jose's man in charge.
The Florida Panthers hired Brett Peterson as an assistant general manager two years ago, making him the first Black assistant GM. Ironically, Peterson played hockey at Boston College at the same time former Dolphins coach Brian Flores was on the BC football team. One of Peterson's wife's brothers was on the football team so Peterson and Flores are friends. While Flores coached the Dolphins, he and Grier were the NFL's only Black head coach/general manager combination.
The Grier family continues the intersection of a passion for football and hockey and now the brothers can talk salary cap, transactions, decision making, and everything else that falls under the umbrella of a professional sports general manager. Their rise to the top of the profession is impressive and historic.
