Joe Sakic of the Avalanche has been named the NHL’s general manager of the year, the league announced on Thursday.
The legendary player turned GM directed the franchise to its best regular season in history — 56-19-7, 119 points — en route to winning the Stanley Cup. A voting panel of NHL general managers, executives and media members chose Sakic over second-place finisher Julien BriseBois (Lightning).
“It’s an organizational award,” Sakic said during his acceptance speech at the NHL draft in Montreal broadcast on ESPN. “I also want to thank ownership, Stan and Josh Kroenke, for giving us that opportunity.