Joe Sakic has embraced every hockey trophy, cup, award and medal except the one he never imagined.

“Extraordinary Joe’’, whose Avalanche are about to advance to the second round of the NHL playoffs, definitely deserves the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award.

He finished fourth (a point behind third) last season.

Attention, executives and media who will vote at the end of the second round, with the three finalists announced shortly thereafter:

Now is Sakic’s time. Joe has earned it.

Joe is the executive vice president/GM of the only NHL franchise in Quebec City and Denver that Sakic’s ever been a significant force with since 1988.

The trophy belongs in the myriad glass cases in a Cherry Hills Village home with the Conn Smythe; the Hart Memorial, the Lady Byng and the Lester B. Pearson (all three won in 2001); the All-Star Game MVP, the Olympics hockey tournament MVP; the WHL player of the year, the Canadian Hockey League player of the year; the major junior MVP; the Four Broncos Memorial; the Bob Clarke; the Winter Games gold medal; and gold medals in the junior world cup championships, the World Championships and the World Cup, and even a midget league championship.

Sakic has been well rewarded for a life well lived over a half century.

And the zenith for Joe was when, as the Avalanche captain, he was presented Hockey’s Holy Grail in 1996 and 2001.

When I visited Joe’s parents many years ago for a day at the home their son had given them in Vancouver, British Columbia, Marijan and Slavica Sakic, Joe’s father, told me proudly, they proudly showed me the first trophy he received as a kid a few years after announcing, at 4 when he saw his first NHL game, he would grow up to be a hockey player.

Sakic retired July 9, 2009, two days after his 40th birthday and almost 21 years in the NHL.

Three years later the center of attention was honored with another award — induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Oh, Sakic has a plaque from golf, too. In 2011 the left-hander who putts like his wrister on the ice, made a hole-in-one at the annual celebrity-pro athletes golf tournament at Lake Tahoe. Sakic won $1 million and shared half with charity.

The humble humanitarian and his wife, Debbie, who met at a high school when he was playing junior hockey, have raised multiples of millions of meals for the Food Bank of the Rockies.

In 2011, after serving as a carpool dad for his three children (Mitch and twins Chase and Kamaryn) and an assistant high school hockey coach, Joe returned to the Avalanche as a special adviser.

On May 10, 2013, Sakic was named exec VP/GM of the Avs — becoming the third of Hall of Famer of Denver’s professional franchises to take over a team’s leadership. Dan Issel had been the coach, then president of the Nuggets, and John Elway has been the executive vice president, general manager and president of Broncos football operations.

Issel pulled off the first NBA upset of a No. 1 seed by an eighth seed when the Nuggets defeated the Supersonics. Elway and Sakic both won two world championships as players. Elway commanded the Broncos to two Super Bowls, the last a title.

Will Sakic ever duplicate or surpass Elway’s feat?

The Avs can clinch a first-round sweep over the Blues on Sunday afternoon.

They and Sakic have netted their first Presidents’ Trophy since he momentarily held the trophy in 2001. The roster is composed of 11 draft choices, including eight-first rounders, during the Sakic reign. He also acquired No. 1 goalie Philipp Grubauer, hired coach Jared Bednar and, before this season, pulled off exceptional trades for defenseman Devon Toews and Brandon Saad, and re-signed three critical restricted free agents.

When Sakic assumed control eight years ago, it was wondered if the subdued and modest superstar had the extroverted traits to be a successful GM. More rumblings surfaced when the Avs missed the playoffs three consecutive seasons.

The Avalanche have reached the postseason in four straight seasons, and Sakic undeniably has proven, as always, he’s more than qualified for every challenge.

He doesn’t care a whit about a GM of the Year trophy, though.

Sakic only wants a third Lord Stanley of Preston’s Cup. Say it’s so, Joe.