St. Louis Blues president-CEO of business operations Chris Zimmerman was named the 2025 recipient of the Lou Lamoriello Award.
The American Hockey Coaches Association announced Zimmerman as the winner of the award, which goes to a former college coach or player who has distinguished themselves in their profession after college.
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Zimmerman played hockey at the University of Vermont from 1977 to 1981 and then served as an assistant coach at Babson College for the 1981-82 season.
Since then, he’s become a stalwart sports executive, including being the president-CEO of the Blues since 2014-15. Before that, he was president-CEO of the Vancouver Canucks from 2006 to 2009. And before his time in the NHL, he led Nike’s Bauer hockey equipment brand and later Easton’s baseball and hockey business.
“Chris is an exceptional choice for the Lou Lamoriello Award,” Jeff Schulman, University of Vermont’s athletics director, said in the announcement.
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“Chris was a highly respected leader on campus during his time as a Catamount and not surprisingly has gone on to have exceptional success and impact in his professional career. Most importantly, Chris is a caring and generous person and friend who has made positive contributions to every community in which he has been apart. UVM is proud to count Chris among our most prominent alumni.”
During Zimmerman’s time with the Blues, he brought the 2017 NHL Winter Classic, 2020 All-Star Game and the 2026 NCAA men’s Frozen Four to St. Louis. The Blues were also Sports Business Journal’s team of the year in 2020 after winning the Stanley Cup in 2019. The team says local revenue controlled by the Blues has increased 30 percent over the past five years, and its storytelling team won six Emmy awards.
Chris Zimmerman greets fans before a St. Louis Blues game during the COVID-19-affected 2020-21 season.
Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Zimmerman has also overseen the growth of programs that improve accessibility to hockey, lower barriers to access the sport and promote the game’s benefits. He’s also on the board of directors for the Blues for Kids Foundation, the Legacy Ice Foundation, CEOs against Cancer and the St. Louis Sports Commission.
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The Lou Lamoriello Award is named after the Islanders GM who’s won the Stanley Cup three times and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. He captained Providence College’s men’s hockey team in 1962-63, coached the team from 1968 to 1983 and was its director of player personnel from 1982 to the 1986-87 season.
Zimmerman is scheduled to receive the award in a presentation during the Frozen Four from April 10 to 12 in St. Louis.