| Thomas Greiss | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Greiss with thePittsburgh Penguins in 2014 | |||
| Born | (1986-01-29)29 January 1986 (age 39) Füssen,West Germany | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) | ||
| Weight | 220 lb (100 kg; 15 st 10 lb) | ||
| Position | Goaltender | ||
| Catches | Left | ||
| DEL team Former teams | Löwen Frankfurt Kölner Haie San Jose Sharks Brynäs IF Hannover Scorpions Phoenix Coyotes Pittsburgh Penguins New York Islanders Detroit Red Wings St. Louis Blues | ||
| National team |  Germany | ||
| NHL draft | 94th overall,2004 San Jose Sharks | ||
| Playing career | 2004–present | ||
Thomas Greiss (born 29 January 1986) is a German professionalice hockeygoaltender who currently plays forLöwen Frankfurt of theDeutsche Eishockey Liga. Selected 94th overall in the third round of the2004 NHL Entry Draft by theSan Jose Sharks, he played in theNational Hockey League (NHL) for the Sharks,Phoenix Coyotes,Pittsburgh Penguins,New York Islanders,Detroit Red Wings andSt. Louis Blues.
Greiss is a native ofFüssen, Germany. As a youth, he played in the 1999Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament with a team fromMunich.[1] He developed through the youth ranks ofEV Füssen before heading to theKölner Haie organization in 2002. He made his debut in the German top-flightDeutsche Eishockey Liga (DEL) for the Cologne-based team during the 2003–04 campaign.[citation needed]
TheSan Jose Sharks selected Greiss in the third round, 94th overall, in the2004 NHL Entry Draft.[2] Greiss played for San Jose during the Sharks' preseason games ahead of the2007–08 season, though he was eventually assigned to the team's then-American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, theWorcester Sharks. On 8 January 2008, he was recalled to replace German compatriotDimitri Pätzold as the backup goaltender toEvgeni Nabokov. Greiss started his first career NHL game on 13 January 2008, an eventual 4–3 overtime loss to theAnaheim Ducks.[3] For the2009–10 season, he served as the back-up goaltender to starter Nabokov.[4]
On 12 October 2010, just prior to the commencement of the2010–11 season, Greiss was put onwaivers by San Jose, eventually clearing and reporting to Worcester of the AHL. Greiss' demotion was in large part due to the off-season signings of Finnish goaltendersAntero Niittymäki andAntti Niemi.[5] Nine days later, after failing to see any gameplay as Worcester's third-string goaltender, he was reassigned toBrynäs IF in the SwedishElitserien to provide him regular playing time.[6][7] In April 2011, Greiss was recalled from Brynäs to San Jose for the team's run in the2011 Stanley Cup playoffs.[8] He later re-signed with the Sharks on 7 July.[citation needed]
For the Sharks'2011–12 season opener, Greiss was the team's starter in a 6–3 win over thePhoenix Coyotes inSan Jose. He went on to start the next two games—losses to the Anaheim Ducks andSt. Louis Blues—before Antti Niemi returned from off-season surgery. Later in the season, Greiss recorded his first career NHLshutout on 26 January 2013, recording 24 saves in a 4–0 win over theColorado Avalanche.[9]
Greiss became a free agent in July 2013 and subsequently signed a one-year contract with the Phoenix Coyotes. In his only season with Phoenix, he played in 25 games, posting a 2.25goals against average (GAA) and .920 save percentage. At the end of the2013–14 season, he was not re-signed by the Coyotes, whereupon he signed a one-year, $1 million contract as an unrestricted free agent with thePittsburgh Penguins on 1 July 2014.[10] After the2014–15 season in which he appeared in 20 games for the Penguins, Greiss once again switched teams as a free agent, signing with theNew York Islanders on a two-year, $3 million contract on 1 July 2015.[11] In March 2016,Jaroslav Halák, the Islanders' starting goaltender, suffered a lower-body injury sidelining him six weeks, leaving Greiss as the team's temporary starter.[12]
In December 2016, the Islanders waived Halák, leaving Greiss andJean-François Bérubé as the Islanders' two goaltenders.[13][14] On 30 January 2017, Greiss signed a three-year contract extension with the Islanders.[15] On 15 January 2018, Greiss made a career-high 52 saves in a 5–4 overtime win over theMontreal Canadiens.[16]
On 10 October 2020, Greiss signed a two-year, $7.2 million contract with theDetroit Red Wings.[17] Greiss was named theNHL First Star of the Week for the week ending 3 May 2021. He stopped all 66 shots he faced across 130:00 of regulation and overtime. It marked the third time that Greiss had posted consecutive shutouts during his NHL career, and the first time a Detroit goaltender has accomplished the feat sincePetr Mrázek did so in January 2018.[18]
On 13 July 2022, Greiss signed as a free agent to a one-year, $1.25 million contract with theSt. Louis Blues.[19] Featuring in his 14th NHL season in2022–23, Greiss served as the Blues backup goaltender toJordan Binnington, and posted seven wins through 21 appearances, as the Blues missed the postseason.
On 12 July 2023, as a free agent from the Blues and despite contract offers, Greiss announced his retirement from the NHL and his professional ice hockey career.[20]
On September 25, 2024, Greiss announced his return to ice hockey by signing a short-term contract withLöwen Frankfurt, following the injuries ofJuho Olkinuora and Cody Brenner.[21]
In 2006, Greiss earned a roster spot on theGerman team for the2006 Winter Olympics; at just 20 years of age, he was the youngest goaltender in the tournament. During the tournament, Greiss notably recorded an impressive 35-save performance againstCanada.[22]
Greiss was again named to the German squad for in the2010 Winter Olympics inVancouver.
Greiss represented Germany at the2017 IIHF World Championship. While at the event, he drew controversy for liking posts critical ofHillary Clinton onTwitter, including one comparing Clinton toAdolf Hitler.[23]
In 2021, theGerman Ice Hockey Federation (DEB) announced that Greiss would no longer be representing Germany at international events, following Greiss'Instagram posts about the death of controversial conservative radio personalityRush Limbaugh.[24]
Greiss' wife Brittney (née Palmer) wasMiss South Dakota USA in 2014. Together, they have a daughter.[25]
| Regular season | Playoffs | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T/OT | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | ||
| 2003–04 | Kölner Haie | DEL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 4 | 0 | 12.00 | .600 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Kölner Haie | DEL | 8 | — | — | — | 459 | 16 | 0 | 2.09 | .936 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2004–05 | Eisbären Regensburg | 2.GBun | 1 | — | — | — | 60 | 2 | 0 | 2.00 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2005–06 | Kölner Haie | DEL | 27 | — | — | — | 1,560 | 64 | 1 | 2.46 | .926 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 533 | 27 | 1 | 3.03 | .898 | ||
| 2006–07 | Fresno Falcons | ECHL | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 180 | 7 | 0 | 2.34 | .929 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2006–07 | Worcester Sharks | AHL | 43 | 26 | 15 | 2 | 2,555 | 111 | 0 | 2.61 | .912 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 172 | 12 | 0 | 4.18 | .865 | ||
| 2007–08 | Worcester Sharks | AHL | 41 | 18 | 21 | 2 | 2,424 | 125 | 0 | 3.09 | .892 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 129 | 7 | 0 | 3.26 | .860 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Worcester Sharks | AHL | 57 | 34 | 20 | 2 | 3,346 | 138 | 1 | 2.47 | .910 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 742 | 30 | 2 | 2.43 | .912 | ||
| 2009–10 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 16 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 782 | 35 | 0 | 2.68 | .912 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 2 | 0 | 3.00 | .929 | ||
| 2010–11 | Brynäs IF | SEL | 32 | — | — | — | 1,850 | 90 | 2 | 2.92 | .901 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2011–12 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 19 | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1,043 | 40 | 0 | 2.30 | .915 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Hannover Scorpions | DEL | 9 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 535 | 31 | 0 | 3.47 | .905 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | San Jose Sharks | NHL | 6 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 308 | 13 | 1 | 2.53 | .915 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2012–13 | Worcester Sharks | AHL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 60 | 5 | 0 | 5.04 | .815 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2013–14 | Phoenix Coyotes | NHL | 25 | 10 | 8 | 5 | 1,312 | 50 | 2 | 2.29 | .920 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | Pittsburgh Penguins | NHL | 20 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 1,159 | 50 | 0 | 2.59 | .908 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | New York Islanders | NHL | 41 | 23 | 11 | 4 | 2,288 | 90 | 1 | 2.36 | .925 | 11 | 5 | 6 | 734 | 30 | 0 | 2.46 | .923 | ||
| 2016–17 | New York Islanders | NHL | 51 | 26 | 18 | 5 | 2,814 | 126 | 3 | 2.69 | .913 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | New York Islanders | NHL | 27 | 13 | 8 | 2 | 1,492 | 95 | 1 | 3.82 | .892 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | New York Islanders | NHL | 43 | 23 | 14 | 2 | 2,294 | 87 | 5 | 2.28 | .927 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 2 | 0 | 3.33 | .800 | ||
| 2019–20 | New York Islanders | NHL | 31 | 16 | 9 | 4 | 1,596 | 73 | 0 | 2.74 | .913 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 178 | 6 | 1 | 2.02 | .929 | ||
| 2020–21 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 34 | 8 | 15 | 8 | 1,756 | 79 | 2 | 2.70 | .912 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Detroit Red Wings | NHL | 31 | 10 | 15 | 1 | 1,508 | 92 | 0 | 3.66 | .891 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 21 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 1,090 | 66 | 1 | 3.64 | .896 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | Löwen Frankfurt | DEL | 13 | 4 | 8 | 0 | 619 | 37 | 0 | 3.59 | .886 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 368 | 162 | 130 | 37 | 19,569 | 903 | 16 | 2.77 | .911 | 17 | 7 | 8 | 988 | 40 | 1 | 2.43 | .922 | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Germany | WJC18-D1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 120 | 2 | 0 | 1.00 | .955 | |
| 2004 | Germany | WJC18-D1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 140 | 8 | 0 | 3.43 | .867 | |
| 2004 | Germany | WJC-D1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | 1.51 | .909 | |
| 2005 | Germany | WJC | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 104 | 13 | 0 | 7.50 | .806 | |
| 2006 | Germany | WJC-D1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 240 | 2 | 2 | 0.50 | .978 | |
| 2006 | Germany | OLY | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 60 | 5 | 0 | 5.00 | .875 | |
| 2006 | Germany | WC-D1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 61 | 2 | 0 | 1.97 | .882 | |
| 2010 | Germany | OLY | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 179 | 15 | 0 | 5.03 | .815 | |
| 2016 | Germany | WC | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 240 | 10 | 0 | 2.50 | .904 | |
| Junior totals | 15 | 10 | 2 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | |||
| Senior totals | 10 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 540 | 32 | 0 | 3.56 | — | |||
| Award | Year | |
|---|---|---|
| NHL | ||
| William M. Jennings Trophy | 2019 | |