AUERBACH AWARD FOR COACH/EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR

This goes to the person off the field who did the most to further the cause of their team on the field.

And the winner is...

Peter Chiarelli, GM of the Boston Bruins.



Now the Bruins haven't won anything meaningful yet. They're 2nd place in the Northeast, and struggling to remain consistent in the 09-10 season. But they've done exceedingly well at locking up key talent for several years.

Marc Savard, Milan Lucic, Tim Thomas, David Krejci, Tuukka Rask, and Byron Bitz have all recently had their deals lengthened, and all at a wholesale price.

Chiarelli and company also helped compose that Phil Kessel deal, which sent a player who didn't want to be here to Toronto for a pair of 1st round picks (Toronto has the 3rd worst record in the NHL at the moment).

Chiarelli and company also acquired Blake Wheeler, Mark Recchi, Michael Ryder, and Steve Begin.

He's yet to make an earth-shattering, headline-grabbing acquisition. But that's sort of the point. Hockey is more of a team sport than any other sport. And with a shrinking cap number, Chiarelli's done well at keeping the Bruins deep and strong.