Therrien Not Among Jack Adams Finalists
Matt Bodenschatz | National Hockey League
Apr 30, 10:18 PM | Hype this story!
The NHL announced its finalists for the Jack Adams award given to the coach of the year, and Pittsburgh Penguins coach Michel Therrien was not among them.
The finalists are Bruce Boudreau of the Washington Capitals, Guy Carbonneau of the Montreal Canadiens and Mike Babcock of the Detroit Red Wings.
Boudreau molded the Capitals from the basement of the NHL to a playoff team in a matter of months, giving Washington fans something to look forward to for next season.
Carbonneau, well known for his days as a defensive forward, took a Canadiens team that many believed would miss the playoffs and converted them into one of the most offensively electrifying teams in the NHL. Coaching a group known primarily for defense, Carbonneau gave the fans plenty of excitement with his offensive game plans.
Lastly, Babcock coached the Red Wings to a first place finish in the NHL. While his team is loaded with talent, he has kept the players consistent from day one, positioning them for a long playoff run.
Clearly, all three are worthy candidates, though Penguins fans may argue that Therrien, nominated last year for the award, should have been nominated again this year for his ability to coach the Penguins through the injury-laden months of January and February.
Comments
Eric
Apr 30, 11:59 PM
I’d have to put Therrien 5th on the list. Behind the aforementioned three, and Dave Tippett in DAL.
I think the three finalists did more this season than Therrien (Babcock winning the presidents – which usually gets a nod, Boudreau for turning around a team and Carbonneau for taking a team out of the playoffs last year to winning the East). He should’n‘t have any reason to hang his head (and he probably wont), he did what he needed to do this season. And did it well. This was just another one of thos seasons where other coaches were faced with more adversity or conquered greater feats.
All in all, I won’t be complaining about this list.
DaBich
May 1, 05:49 AM
ehhhh…the Pens were ignored for Gonchar too, so what’s new?
Ashley Gallant
May 1, 08:47 AM
There’s a long list of coaches that would be deserving of the Jack Adams this year, in addition to Carbonneau, Babcock, Boudreau, Tippett and Therrien.
How about Claude Julien in Boston? He brought his team to the playoffs after losing their starting goalie in October, as well as one of their best players.
Or how about Barry Trotz in Nashville for getting his team to the playoffs after all of his best players were traded last year or left for another team?
Joel Quenneville could be on that list too for getting the Colorado Avalanche into the playoffs after losing Joe Sakic, Ryan Smyth, and Paul Stastny, among other players, for a good chunk of time.
That’s 8 coaches that could have been nominated for the Jack Adams, which sure isn’t a bad thing.
At the end of the day, though, I hope Bruce Boudreau wins. He inherited a team that was at the bottom of the conference standings and turned them around in a very short period of time.
Matt Bodenschatz
May 1, 09:01 AM
Eric, I agree. Those who were nominated certainly were good choices — though I’d probably replace Babcock with Therrien or Tippett. I don’t think Therrien got snubbed, by any means, but I also don’t think it’s a big surprise that a Wings squad with plenty of talent did as well as they did.
There are two awards I truly care about — the rest mean squat. Award 1: the Stanley Cup, awarded to the best team in the playoffs. Award 2: the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to the playoff MVP.
DaBich
May 1, 09:44 AM
Ash ~ I’m with you girl. Boudreau most certainly deserves it the most.
Matt Bodenschatz
May 1, 09:52 AM
Ashley and Dabich, Boudreau hands down is the winner. I don’t know how he couldn’t be. this man deserves all the credit in the world for the quick turn around. As I said, he has given Capitals fans something to look forward to.
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