"Over the course of my career, Jimmy was my trainer, my coach and my general manager," said Seiling, 74, who has been thinking a great deal about Gregory since the latter died on Wednesday at age 83.
More than filling a variety of roles, he said, it was Gregory who in 1964 converted a versatile player into a full-time defenseman, the position he ultimately would play for 979 NHL games from 1962-63 through 1978-79 for the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, St. Louis Blues, Atlanta Flames and, for a single game, the Washington Capitals
Seiling first came to know Gregory for two seasons in Toronto with the major junior St. Michael's Majors, from 1960-62. In Seiling's second season, he finished with 50 points (24 goals, 26 assists) in 31 games.