Mike York was a key player for the Michigan State University Spartans from 1995 to 1999. In his junior season, he led the team in scoring for the second consecutive year, with 61 points on 27 goals and 34 assists. This performance earned him a First-Team All-American selection and a Hobey Baker Award nomination in 1998. He followed that up in his senior season, when he recorded 54 points and was again a top-ten finalist for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award in 1999. York was also named the CCHA Player of the Year in 1999.

After college, York had a long and successful professional career. Drafted by the New York Rangers in 1997, he went on to play in 579 NHL games for six different teams: the New York Rangers, Edmonton Oilers, New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers, Phoenix Coyotes, and Columbus Blue Jackets. He had his most productive seasons with the Rangers and Oilers, including a career-high 61 points in the 2001-02 season. York was a member of the 2002 U.S. Olympic team, which won a silver medal. He also played in the AHL and in Germany before retiring from professional hockey in 2016.