Mike Grier has been named general manager of the San Jose Sharks, becoming the first Black man in NHL history to hold the position.
The Sharks officially announced the hire Tuesday.
Grier, 47, played 14 seasons in the NHL for four different teams, including the Sharks, before retiring in 2011. He spent this past season as the New York Rangers' hockey operations adviser and also worked as a scout for the Chicago Blackhawks from 2014 to 2018.
Grier is the younger brother of Miami Dolphins GM Chris Grier, who has held that role since 2016.
Grier will replace Sharks interim GM Joe Will, who took over in November when longtime GM Doug Wilson left the team because of medical reasons. Wilson officially stepped down in April after 19 seasons with the club.
The Sharks hired Grier four days after firing head coach Bob Boughner and his staff. The firing came late in the NHL offseason for a coaching change, as eight other head-coaching vacancies already have been filled, but Will said in a statement that the new GM should "have full autonomy" to hire the next coach.
Once a dominant force in the Western Conference, the Sharks have missed the playoffs for three straight seasons, the longest drought in franchise history.
San Jose has a veteran corps of players with various levels of trade protection in their contracts. San Jose is paying defensemen Erik Karlsson, Brent Burns and Marc-Edouard Vlasic -- all over the age of 32 -- a combined $26.5 million against the salary cap through 2025.