REMEMBERING JIM GREGORY

No one in the game is more deserving of the title "hockey-lifer" than Jim Gregory, who passed away on October 30. After being born in Port Colborne, Ontario, Gregory spent his early years in Dunnville, Ontario, but moved to Toronto to attend St. Michael's College School in 1953.

Besides the chance to receive a quality education, Gregory hoped to become a part of St. Mike's highly respected hockey program.

"We had won a couple of playoff rounds with my hometown team," Gregory told me in a 2014 interview in his office at the NHL headquarters in Toronto. "I was finishing my midget year and I was playing on an advanced team with four or five really good hockey players. Three of us got invited to join a junior camp in Hamilton, Ontario, by Eddie Bush."

As Gregory went on to explain, there was another option for him to consider.

"I thought if I had a chance to make the Hamilton team, maybe I had a chance to make the St. Mike's club. I had a cousin who was already at St. Mike's and his two brothers went there. They loved it and talked about it all the time. Our whole family thought that if you had a goal to get educated, St. Mike's would be the place to go."

Once the decision was made, Gregory made his way to Toronto.

"The hockey practices back then didn't start until October. I was there a month and got in a little bit of skating. I went to the junior practice, but by the second or third practice, I was cut." Showing his dry sense of humour, Gregory added, "It wasn't pretty."

When Gregory thought his window on having a hockey career had closed, another window opened.

"Father Bauer was my homeroom teacher and I went to talk with him and he noticed that I was desponded. I told him I was thinking of leaving and going home because I still had the opportunity to go and workout with Hamilton."

The legendary Father Bauer, after listening to his student from Dunnville, was responsible for opening the window that allowed Gregory to enter a new phase of his life. A Basilian Father, Bauer had a huge impact on Gregory.

"In addition to teaching, Father Bauer was coaching the Majors and he invited me to come out and skate with him to keep in shape."

And Father Bauer also promised Gregory that he would arrange another tryout with the junior B squad.

"He arranged the tryout and I got cut again," Gregory recalled, as though it had only occurred. "I was better in my head than I was on the ice."

To stay connected to the game, Gregory continued to assist Father Bauer.

"Of course, they had no money and he asked me if I'd be the trainer and help manage the St. Mike's Majors. From then on, Father Bauer became my mentor and he really helped me."

When former NHL defenceman, Bob Goldham, took the coaching job at St. Mike's in 1957, Gregory was able to continue his hockey education.

"I couldn't describe how he helped me," Gregory said of the five-time Stanley Cup champion with Toronto and Detroit. "He made an impression and provided an imprint. I learned from him that this is what you do and how you do it. I was not only influenced by his hockey knowledge, but by the person and the kind of family man he was."

After helping Father Bauer and the Majors win the Memorial Cup in 1961, Gregory found himself in a new situation. St. Mike's shutdown the Majors and Gregory joined the junior A Toronto Marlboros. He went captured two more Canadian junior championships with the Marlboros, who were sponsored by the Toronto Maple Leafs.

When he became a scout with the Leafs, Gregory was well situated should any opportunities develop in management. And that opportunity came in 1969, when Toronto Maple Leafs general manager and coach, Punch Imlach, was dismissed.

At the age of 33, Gregory was hired to take over one of hockey's most historic teams.

"My first assignment will be to sign Johnny McLellan as coach," Gregory said of his choice to be behind the Leafs' bench. Also, he had plans for the scouting department. "We're going to complete our scouting first and then get ready for the draft meetings."

Looking back at Gregory's time as GM, one skill-set emerges and that was his ability to assess talent. Under his leadership, the Leafs drafted Darryl Sitter, Errol Thompson, Rick Kehoe, Lanny McDonald, Bob Neely, Ian Turnbull, "Tiger" Williams, Mike Palmateer, and John Anderson. When Borje Salming is added to this mix, the foundation for a competitive team was put in place by Gregory. Behind the bench, Gregory hired McLellan, Red Kelly and Roger Neilson.

Gregory's last season with the Toronto Maple Leafs was in 1978-79.

He remained in the game with NHL Central Scouting and became the vice-president of Hockey Operations for the NHL. He remained in this position until his passing. Also, he served on the Hockey Hall of Fame selection committee.

In 2007, Gregory was elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame in the Builders category. His acceptance speech was passionate and emotional. His love for the game and the people he encountered along the way was clearly evident.

Statements released by the National Hockey League and the Toronto Maple Leafs reflect the sentiments of all those who knew Jim Gregory.

The statement from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman: "It is impossible to express the extent to which the National Hockey League family adored Jim Gregory and the loss we feel as a result of his passing. Jim Gregory wasn't just a great 'hockey man,' though he certainly was that. He was a great man - a devoted husband to Rosalie, his wife of 60 years; father to Andrea, Valerie, Maureen and David; grandfather of 13; and mentor and friend to too many to number."

The statement from Toronto Maple Leafs president and alternate governor, Brendan Shanahan: "The Toronto Maple Leafs are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Jim Gregory. Jim was one of the great gentlemen of hockey. He was a friend to so many within the game - the Leafs, the League, the Hall of Fame and beyond. His friendships and contributions to hockey were so deeply rooted. He was a living breathing piece of hockey history. He will be greatly missed."