Ranking the top 5 greatest black NHL players of all-time

5. Mike Grier

Mike Grier is a pioneer of sorts. He’s best known as being the first African-American player in NHL history to be trained exclusively in the United States. Grier’s also the first black player to reach 1,000 career NHL games.

He was originally drafted by the St. Louis Blues in 1993, but in 1995, he was traded to the Edmonton Oilers, along with goaltender Curtis Joseph, for two first-round picks. Grier wasn’t considered to be a promising prospect when he was drafted, but he stood out at Boston University and made his NHL debut in October of 1996.

With the Oilers, Grier was primarily a checking-line forward, but he also did some fighting. In 2002, the Oilers traded Grier to the Washington Capitals. Over six seasons in Edmonton, Grier picked up 183 points in 448 games.

In Washington, Grier put up 52 points in 150 games over two seasons. After leaving the Capitals, he signed with the Buffalo Sabres. He also played for the San Jose Sharks before returning to play for the Sabres for two more seasons.

Grier got Selke Trophy votes on five separate occasions. Additionally, he finished eighth in the Calder Trophy race in 1996-97. Though Grier didn’t win any major awards and wasn’t really a star, he was one of the first black players to stick around in the NHL.