NHL renames GM of the Year award after late Jim Gregory

The annual award given to the NHL's top general manager will be renamed in honor of the late Jim Gregory, the league announced Tuesday.

The league ran the idea by general managers at Tuesday's meetings in Toronto, and it received a unanimous stamp of approval, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.

"This is a terrific tribute to a wonderful man by a group uniquely qualified to appreciate his many contributions to our game," NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement.

"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 counsel. They universally revere his lifetime of service to the NHL."

The award was first presented to then-Phoenix Coyotes general manager Don Maloney in 2009-10. Last season, Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney captured the honor.

Gregory, who died Oct. 30 at 83 years old, served as general manager of the Maple Leafs for 10 seasons from 1969-79 and then as a league executive for four decades. He was inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame in the Builders category in 2007.