The Vancouver Canucks’ Rick Tocchet, Winnipeg Jets’ Rick Bowness and Nashville Predators’ Andrew Brunette are the finalists for the 2024 Jack Adams Award for the NHL’s coach of the year, the league announced Friday.
Rick Bowness, Andrew Brunette and Rick Tocchet are the three finalists for the 2023-24 Jack Adams Award.
#NHLAwards: https://t.co/a2U28zHmZf pic.twitter.com/vTJloBG1QQ— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) May 3, 2024
Bowness is the first Jack Adams finalist in the history of the Winnipeg Jets-Atlanta Thrashers franchise. The 69-year-old coached the Jets to a 52-24-6 record, good enough for second place in the Central Division. Bowness improved on a 46-33-3 record from the 2022-23 season, en route to a second consecutive playoff berth as coach Winnipeg.
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The Jets’ 52 victories tied a franchise record for most wins in a season, previously set during the 2017-18 campaign.
In Brunette’s first season as Predators’ coach, he earned his second Jack Adams finalist nod. He was the runner-up in the 2021-22 campaign with the Florida Panthers. Brunette led Nashville to the playoffs, guiding the team to a 47-30-5 record.
He coached the team through a franchise-record 18-game point streak from mid-February to late March, the league’s longest point streak of the season.
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It’s the first time Tocchet is up for the award. He just finished his first full season behind the Canucks’ bench with a 50-23-9 record. Tocchet led Vancouver to the Pacific Division title, improving from a 2022-23 season which saw it finish 22nd in the overall standings.
The Canucks also made noticeable improvements in goals-against average (25th place last season to tied for fifth-best this season) and in their penalty kill (32nd last year, 17th this season).
Boston Bruins coach Jim Montgomery was last year’s winner after guiding his team to the greatest regular season in league history with a 65-12-5 record and 135 points. The Jack Adams is voted on by members of the NHL Broadcasters’ Association.
The finalists for the Lady Byng Trophy, given to the NHL’s most gentlemanly forward who best exemplifies sportsmanship, will be revealed Saturday.
Required reading
- How the Predators’ canceled trip to a U2 concert sparked their run to the NHL playoffs
- Why Canucks coach Rick Tocchet was right not to challenge Roman Josi’s goal
- The Winnipeg Jets’ first 3 steps to a successful offseason after playoff disappointment
(Top photo of Rick Tocchet: Jeff Vinnick / NHLI via Getty Images)
