AN HONOUR FOR THE LATE JIM GREGORY

It took the National Hockey League little time to honour their former vice-president of hockey operations, Jim Gregory. The former general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs passed away on October 30. On Tuesday, the League announced that the General Manager of the Year Award (first awarded in the 2009-10) was being renamed after Gregory. It will now be known as the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award. The change was unanimously approved by the NHL GM's.

In a statement released by the NHL, Commissioner Gary Bettman stated, "This is a terrific tribute to a wonderful man by a group uniquely qualified to appreciate his many contributions to our game. During his tenure as general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Jim Gregory transformed the art of team-building. Through the many years he spent at the League, our general managers regularly sought his council. They universally revere his lifetime of service to the NHL.