Former Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager Jim Gregory of Port Colborne, Ontario passed away at the age of 83 on Wednesday. Gregory was the Maple Leafs general manager from 1969 to 1979.
During that period, the Maple Leafs made the Stanley Cup Playoffs eight times. Their best playoff result came in 1977-78 when they beat the Los Angeles Kings two games to none in the preliminary round and then the New York Islanders four games to three in the quarterfinals before losing to the Montreal Canadiens four games to none in the semifinals.
After his time with the Maple Leafs, Gregory worked for the National Hockey League. He was the NHL Central Scouting Service Director, the NHL Executive Director of Hockey Operations, Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations and chairman of the Hockey Hall of Fame Selection Committee. In 2007, Gregory was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame as a builder.
Prior to his time with the Maple Leafs, Gregory won a Memorial Cup with the Toronto St. Michael’s Majors in 1961 a the team’s manager. In a seven game series, the Majors beat the Edmonton Oil Kings four games to two. Gregory then coached and managed the Toronto Marlboros to two more Memorial Cup titles–the first coming in 1964 and the second in 1967. The Marlboros beat the Oil Kings four games to none in Toronto in 1964 and then the Port Arthur Marrs four games to one in Thunder Bay, Ontario in 1967.
