Lou Lamoriello

Lou Lamoriello is the general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs and one of the most successful executives in hockey history. Lamoriello became the GM in Toronto in 2015 after a 29-year tenure heading the New Jersey Devils hockey operations. Only legends Conn Smythe and Art Ross spent longer tenures as a general manager with one team. His teams made five trips to the Stanley Cup Final and won three championships. They qualified for the playoffs in all but three years of his illustrious career. Lamoriello became a pioneer by adding multiple Soviet stars to his team in the late 1980s. Prior to him taking over, the Devils had not had a winning season in their first five years of existence. New Jersey made the playoffs during Lamoriello's first season and advanced all the way to the Wales Conference Finals. He took over a similar rebuilding project in Toronto, where the Maple Leafs had not made the postseason in ten of the last 11 years prior to his arrival. During Lamoriello's second season on the job, Toronto started to see some breakthrough stars and made a trip back to the playoffs. He originally got into hockey by serving as the head coach at his alma mater, Providence College. Lamoriello also spent time as the school's athletic director and hired a young Rick Pitino to be the Friars' head basketball coach. He was also instrumental in establishing the Hockey East Association and became its first commissioner. Lamoriello is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame and the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.