Joe Sakic named 'GM of the Year' at day 1 of NHL Draft in Montreal

General Manager Joe Sakic of the Colorado Avalanche seems to have attained almost all the achievements you could ask for at the NHL level. Most notably, he's won two Stanley Cup championships as a player and one as the mastermind behind an NHL team -- all three Cups with the Avs of course. 

Sakic got to add some icing to the cake that has been the 2022 Colorado Avalanche Stanley Cup Final victory when he was named the NHL "Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year" Thursday night during the middle of the first round of the 2022 NHL Draft in Montreal, Quebec. Sakic was presented this honor by Montreal Canadiens legend Serge Savard. 

Through all the excitement and warranted celebration, Sakic seemed to be happy to be back to a more formal setting during his live TV interview with ESPN reporter Emily Kaplan. She asked him if he had celebrated as much as the players. 

"I've celebrated -- maybe not as hard," Sakic told Kaplan. "But I'm glad we came to Montreal ... get back to work."

As most teams experience coming off a season of success, the Avalanche found themselves with a limited number of set picks to start the draft that will come in later rounds, barring any unforeseen trades. 

"It's a team effort, really," Sakic told Kaplan. "We have such a great staff, and I give players and coaching staff -- when you talk team, our group from day one, they became a team ... They had the same goal in mind. They didn't really let anything affect them, and they just believed in each other and had that commitment, and it was really impressive to watch them."