"Coach Parker, he was hard on us, he pushed us," Grier said. "But he was so personable and had great relationships and cared about all of us not hockey players but as individuals. [Hynes] at the NHL level, he was great. Similar to the hours my dad put in, I saw [Hynes] put in the same hours."
Grier, a Detroit native, caught the coaching bug shortly after his retirement in 2010-11 when he began coaching his son. The desire to coach intensified when he served as a coach at the CMM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game in 2014 and worked with the coaching staff of the U.S. Women's National Team for three years leading to the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics.
"I'd come into the camps and work with them and be around their staff," Grier said. "It was something I enjoyed and made me realize that it was something I wanted to explore. I just enjoy being on the ice, the teaching and passing on the things that were taught to me by some of the older players I played with."
Grier had 383 points (162 goals, 221 assists) in 1,060 NHL games with the Edmonton Oilers, Washington Capitals Buffalo Sabres and San Jose Sharks.
He was selected by the St. Louis Blues in the ninth round (No. 219) of the 1993 NHL Draft from Boston University and helped BU win the NCAA championship in 1994-95. Grier had 120 points (59 goals, 61 assists) in 114 games for BU from 1993-94 and 1995-96, and he was a top-10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, presented to the NCAA's top player, in 1994-95.
Grier began playing hockey because his older brother, Chris, played. However, Chris Grier followed in his father's footsteps and made football his career; he's general manager of the Miami Dolphins and the only black GM in the NFL.
Mike Grier said his decision to pursue a hockey career was good for him and his father.
"Hockey was something I was able to have as my own, something different," he said. "For my dad, it was a break from talking about football at home. He would come watch my games; we'd talk about hockey and watch hockey on TV."
He said it's also been good having a brother who is a pro team executive to offer him perspective.
"We've had plenty of ups and downs in two seasons in Jersey," he said, "so he's been good to have someone to talk to as a sounding board to kind of tell me there's always going to bumps in the road and that you've got to keep grinding and keep at it and keep a positive attitude."
The 45-year-old said he hopes to lead an NHL team one day but that he still has dues to pay before that happens.
"It would be something I'd look forward to, the challenge of having one day, but I still have a lot to learn and a lot of experience to gain," he said. "Hopefully, down the road, maybe an opportunity comes up and I would embrace it."