For Salming, Gregory was far more than the general manager who first brought the Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman over from Sweden to play for the Toronto Maple Leafs 46 years ago.
He's always been family to Salming. And now he's gone, having died Wednesday at age 83.
RELATED: [Gregory, Hockey Hall of Famer, dies at 83 | Gregory made impression on Hall of Famer Keon]
"He was like a second father to me," Salming said, crying during a phone interview from Sweden. "I love that man …"
Salming paused for several seconds, trying to regain control of his emotions.
"People don't understand," he said. "In 1973, I came to a new country, a new league, a new city, a new culture, a new language, a new everything. And he was always there for me. Without him, I'm not sure I could have coped …"
Gregory spent 10 seasons as Maple Leafs GM from 1969-79 before becoming an NHL executive for the next four decades. In the course of that illustrious career, one of his most notable accomplishments was bringing Salming and forward Inge Hammarstrom, also a Swede, to the NHL in 1973, two of the first Europe-born players to play in the League.