Mike Grier and Ryan Crowe have a long history together.
On July 3, the San Jose Sharks announced that Crowe would join the team as assistant general manager, joining Joe Will and Tom Hawley.
“Crowe is a really smart guy. We've been in contact for years,” Sharks general manager Grier explained Saturday.
Grier and Crowe were teammates on the San Jose Sharks from 2006 to 2009. Crowe, a sixth-round pick by San Jose in 2001, was a fan-favorite power forward who averaged 20 goals and 100 PIM a year in his prime.
In 2014-15, Crowe, now with the New Jersey Devils, was forced into early retirement due to concussions.
“He's had a really good experience since he finished playing in Jersey. Lou Lamoriello has given him a lot of time to spend with us. He's got a lot to learn from Lou,” Grier said.
Crowe served as an assistant coach with the Devils under head coach John Hynes from 2016-18 before moving to the Toronto Maple Leafs (where general manager Kyle Dubas and head coach Sheldon Keefe were with the Toronto Marlies) to become head coach of the team's ECHL affiliate, the Newfoundland Growlers.
Crowe has yet to fully recover from a concussion that kept him out of the 2018-19 season.
However, after a few years off, Crowe joined the New York Rangers organization as a hockey operations advisor.
2021-22. There, under general manager Chris Drury, he reunites with Grier, another hockey operations advisor.
Grier was named general manager of the San Jose Sharks in the summer of 2022.
“He's a really smart guy, he watches the game a lot and he analyzes the game really well, so he gives a different perspective to me and my staff,” Grier said of Crowe. “He's a great guy too. We're trying to get as many good people, good hockey players here as we can.”
Greer also distinguished Crowe's role as assistant general manager from those of Hawley and Will.
Horry is heavily involved in managing the salary cap, while Will is general manager of the San Jose Barracuda.
Crow?
“He's probably going to be a lot more involved with the day-to-day hockey stuff. That's not to say Joe and Tom aren't,” Grier said. “He's got a good eye. He's got an eye for talent. He's got some really good ideas and thoughts about player development and scouting and stuff like that.”
