Jim Gregory (ice hockey)

Jim Gregory
as a trainer of the St. Michaels Majors, 1961
Born	(1935-11-04) November 4, 1935 (age 81) Port Colborne, Ontario, Canada
Alma mater	St. Michael's College School
Occupation	Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations, NHL
Known for	National Hockey League executive
Spouse(s)	Rosalie Gregory
Children	four
Awards	Hockey Hall of Fame (2007)

James M. Gregory (born November 4, 1935) is a league executive and former general manager in the National Hockey League. Born in Ontario, Gregory attended St. Michael's College School in Toronto where he became involved with the school's ice hockey teams, first as a trainer, eventually moving to management and coaching positions. He went on to coach and manage the Toronto Marlboros, winning two championships. He then moved to the National Hockey League's (NHL) Toronto Maple Leafs, serving as their general manager. He led the team to eight playoff appearances during his ten-year tenure. He then moved to the NHL head offices, becoming the Director of Central Scouting, and later took a directorship position in the Hockey Operations department, which he currently retains.

Gregory was born in 1935 in Port Colborne, Ontario, and raised in the nearby town of Dunnville, Ontario. His father was born in England and was a Royal Canadian Air Force World War II veteran. Growing up in Dunnville, he developed a passion for hockey, in particular, the Toronto Maple Leafs, listening to Foster Hewitt's broadcasts on Hockey Night in Canada, and developing a relationship with his favourite player, Ted Kennedy. He learned the game from playing road hockey, and later on his local midget hockey team.

In 1952, he relocated to Toronto and attended St. Michael's College School, where he had intentions of playing ice hockey. After failing to place on the school's Junior B hockey team, he joined the Junior A team as a stats keeper and trainer at the insistence of teacher Father David Bauer. In 1961, he took a management position with the team, winning the Memorial Cup in that same year. The following hockey season however, the Majors hockey team withdrew from their league, and Gregory relocated to another high school team, the Toronto Neil McNeil Maroons, winning a championship. When the Maroons were merged into the Toronto Marlboros in 1964, the organization retained Gregory. He coached the club to a Memorial Cup victory that year. Later assuming the management duties as well, he guided the Marlies to another Memorial Cup in 1967. In 1959, while working for Colgate-Palmolive, he gained employment with the Toronto Maple Leafs after an interview with owner Stafford Smythe, which was set up with the assistance of his former school coach, teacher and mentor at St. Micheal's, David Bauer. His duties included maintaining his responsibilities with the Marlies, a Maple Leafs-sponsored team, along with scouting, and working at Smythe's summertime aggregate business.