NOLLY'S NOTES - BLOG #19
Jul 5, 2022
Hey, Cuda Country. Hope you all had a safe and enjoyable 4th of July. Maybe it was the fact it was Monday or maybe I’m just getting old, but this year’s Independence Day was by far the quietest of my adult life. And I’m not going to lie, it was perfect haha (I think I am getting old).
Today, Tuesday, July 5, has been far from quiet. After a long and thorough search, the Sharks brass finally announced the hiring of Mike Grier as the team’s new general manager. A momentous hire, not just in the history of the Sharks organization, but in the sport of hockey. Grier is the first black GM in the NHL’s 100+ year history. Since his retirement, the former Sharks forward has served as a scout with the Blackhawks, assistant coach with the Devils, and most recently the hockey operations coordinator for the Rangers. As a player, he skated in 1,060 regular-season games over 14 campaigns with Edmonton, Washington, San Jose, and Buffalo, notching 162 goals and 221 assists, along with 510 penalty minutes. With the Sharks, he collected 78 points (35 goals, 43 assists) over three years, serving as an alternate captain for the 2009-10 season.
One of Grier’s first tasks as the Sharks' new GM will be to hire a head coach after Bob Boughner and his staff were let go last week.
As a fan, I always enjoyed Grier’s game and what I love about his story is the fact that he has worked for everything he’s accomplished. He was drafted by the Blues in the 9th round of the 1993 NHL Draft. Far from a guarantee that he’d even reach the NHL, let alone, play in over 1,000 NHL games.
His brother Chris is the current GM of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins and his dad Bobby was an NFL executive with the Patriots, Texans, and Dolphins. So one could say it runs in the family.
According to his introductory press conference, the Sharks will take on a similar identity to the way Mike Grier played the game.
"I look forward to the challenge of building a fast, competitive, and hardworking team that Sharks fans will enjoy watching and be proud of. One of the things I remember most about playing in San Jose is the home ice advantage that our fans bring through their passion and energy, making SAP Center one of the most difficult buildings to play in."
Although he never won a Stanley Cup as a player, he did win one as a scout with the Hawks and he won a National Championship at BU in 1995 as a player.
As important as his resume, the Sharks value quality people above all. Grier received resounding votes of confidence from various groups of people including several Sharks alumni who played with him and current Rangers GM Chris Drury who had him on his staff last year.
Beyond filling out a coaching staff, the top task for Grier, and the rest of the Sharks hockey department in the coming days is the 2022 NHL Draft which will take place in Montreal from July 7-8. I recently had the privilege of catching up with Doug Wilson Jr., Sharks Director of Scouting, to talk about this pivotal part of the offseason. Watch below.
In this edition of Nolly's Notes, we’d like to congratulate former Sharks forward Andrew Cogliano and the Colorado Avalanche for winning the 2022 Stanley Cup. Cogliano, who was traded from San Jose to Colorado before the trade deadline, signed a one-year extension with the Avs this morning. Another congratulations is in order for former Sharks and Barracuda forward Stefan Noesen and former Barracuda defenseman Cavan Fitzgerald and the Chicago Wolves for winning the 2022 Calder Cup. The two join Ben Smith and Zack Stortini as the only Barracuda alumni to hoist the AHL’s ultimate prize.
In AHL Pacific Division news; the coaching carrousel continued last week when the Vancouver Canucks announced they’d be promoting Trent Cull to assistant coach with the big club after guiding its top affiliate in the AHL for the last five seasons. In a corresponding move, the organization hired former Blackhawks head coach Jeremy Colliton to lead the Abby Canucks.
Additionally, more hockey history was made on Tuesday when the Seattle Kraken announced that Jessica Campbell would serve as an assistant coach under Dan Bylsma with the Coachella Valley Firebirds, becoming the first female assistant coach in AHL history. According to the Firebirds website, Campbell served as an assistant coach for Germany at the 2022 IIHF Men’s World Championship, becoming the first woman to join the coaching staff of a national team participating in the World Championship. This past season, Campbell joined the Tri-City Storm, USHL development program actively heading the Windy City Storm Girl’s Hockey program in Chicago while also serving as an assistant coach and skills coach for the Nurnberg Ice Tigers in the Deutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL).
We wrap up this blog with some prospect news. Last winter the IIHF announced that the Under-20 World Junior Championships will be played in August after COVID forced the event to be abruptly halted and postponed in December. William Eklund is a lock for Team Sweden and Thomas Bordeleau could, at last, get to don the red, white, and blue. Bordeleau twice had to miss the event because of COVID-related issues. Assistant GM Joe Will announced last week that if Bordeleau were to be selected to play for Team USA, the Sharks would indeed grant him that opportunity. It’s up to the NHL club to allow the player to go or not.
That’ll do it for this edition of Nolly’s Notes. Thanks for reading and so long until next time.