NHL GMs thankful after first face-to-face meetings since 2020

Calgary Flames general manager Brad Treliving missed the one-on-one conversations.

New Jersey Devils counterpart Tom Fitzgerald didn't have a chance to learn from his experienced colleagues up close.

And Kelly McCrimmon of the Vegas Golden Knights was keen to get to know some new faces.

NHL general managers met in person this for the first time in more than 750 days this week.

At their last face-to-face gathering in March 2020 — shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the sports world and much of society — salary cap news was a focus.

The other topic that quickly became trivial was a shortage of hockey sticks because of coronavirus-related factory closures in China.

COVID-19 was discussed, but the shutdowns to come were far beyond anyone’s imagination.

More than two years later, GMs were finally back together.

"There's nothing better than to get in the room eyeball-to-eyeball with guys," Treliving said after the league's 32 managers wrapped two days of talks at the swanky Eau Palm Beach Resort & Spa. "These meetings are important. That's the group of people that shepherd the game.

"It's much more productive when you're in the group setting live versus a Zoom call."

"Nice to see everybody again," added Toronto Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas.

Fitzgerald's last GM meeting two years ago was also his first. He was happy to be back between David Poile of the Nashville Predators and the New York Islanders' Lou Lamoriello — managers are seated in alphabetical order according to their team's name — in the boardroom.

"A lot of wisdom and a lot of experience," Fitzgerald said. "It's a very welcoming group. They empower you to ask questions and give your thoughts. There's no being shy about it or 'I'm the young guy, I'm not gonna