Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award

Lore & Background

The award was first suggested in 1993 by Brian Burke, then working for the league, but was not created until the 2009–10 season. It was initially presented during the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals at the annual GM meeting, rather than at the main NHL Awards ceremony. The following season, it was announced that the award would be included in the full ceremony. On November 19, 2019, the NHL renamed the award in honor of Jim Gregory, the recently deceased former general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs and former NHL executive, officially calling it the 'Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award.'

Reader's Guide

The Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award recognizes the top general manager in the NHL each season, as chosen by a panel of 42 voters that includes all 32 general managers, five NHL executives, and five media members. Its creation followed a suggestion by Brian Burke in 1993, though it was not instituted until the 2009–10 season. Initially presented separately at the Stanley Cup Finals, it was later integrated into the main NHL Awards ceremony. The award was renamed in 2019 after the death of Jim Gregory, a former Toronto Maple Leafs general manager and NHL executive. Notable winners include Lou Lamoriello, who became the first two-time winner on June 22, 2021, and Jim Nill, who became the first three-time winner on June 27, 2025. The current title holder is Bill Guerin of the Minnesota Wild.

Did You Know?

• It was renamed on November 19, 2019, in honor of the late Jim Gregory, former Toronto Maple Leafs general manager and NHL executive.
• Lou Lamoriello became the first general manager to win the award twice, on June 22, 2021.
• Jim Nill became the first general manager to win the award three times, on June 27, 2025.

Origins and Early Presentation

The idea for a dedicated General Manager of the Year honor in the NHL traces back to 1993, when Brian Burke, then working in a league capacity, put forward the concept. Despite that early suggestion, the award did not materialize for another seventeen years, finally debuting during the 2009–10 season. Its initial presentation carried a distinctive staging: rather than being folded into the broader NHL Awards ceremony alongside most other league honors, it was handed out during the 2010 Stanley Cup Finals at the annual general managers' meeting. This separated the GM recognition from the rest of the league's award night. However, the arrangement proved temporary. The following season, the league announced that the GM of the Year honor would be incorporated into the full Awards ceremony, giving it the same platform as the other major NHL accolades and ensuring it received comparable visibility from that point forward.

The Jim Gregory Renaming

For nearly a decade, the award carried its straightforward, untitled designation. That changed on November 19, 2019, when the NHL made the announcement that the honor would be permanently renamed in tribute to Jim Gregory, a former general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs and a longtime NHL executive who had passed away just before the news broke. The official designation became the "Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award," embedding his name into the very identity of the league's top GM recognition. The renaming served as a formal acknowledgment of Gregory's contributions to the sport's front-office culture. By attaching his name to an award that celebrates the strategic and organizational work of general managers, the league ensured that his legacy would be invoked each year when the panel selects its winner, keeping his memory intertwined with the highest honor in the GM profession.

Voting Panel and Structure

The selection process for the award relies on a carefully composed 42-member voting panel. This panel is not drawn from a single group; instead, it brings together all 32 general managers in the league, five additional NHL executives, and five members of the media. The inclusion of every active general manager means that peers directly shape the outcome, while the executive and media components add outside perspectives to the deliberation. The award is presented annually, recognizing the individual the panel judges to have been the top general manager in the NHL over the preceding season. This structure ensures that the honor reflects a broad consensus rather than the opinion of a small committee, and the mix of insider and outsider voices gives the selection a layered quality. The annual cadence also means the award tracks the shifting landscape of front-office leadership year to year.

Milestones and Record-Holders

The award's history is punctuated by a few landmark achievements that set new benchmarks for the role. On June 22, 2021, New York Islanders general manager Lou Lamoriello became the first person in the award's history to claim the honor on two separate occasions, establishing a new standard for sustained excellence in the GM role. More recently, on June 27, 2025, Dallas Stars general manager Jim Nill broke that record by becoming the first general manager to win the award three times, cementing a legacy of front-office dominance. As of the most recent cycle, the title belongs to Bill Guerin of the Minnesota Wild, who holds the current iteration of the honor. These milestones underscore that while the award is handed out every year, truly repeating the feat is rare, and the progression from a single win to two to three marks distinct tiers of achievement in the NHL's front-office hierarchy.