HARTLEY, LAVIOLETTE AND VIGNEAULT VOTED JACK ADAMS AWARD FINALISTS
Bob Hartley of the Calgary Flames, Peter Laviolette of the Nashville Predators and Alain Vigneault of the New York Rangers are the three finalists for the 2014-15 Jack Adams Award, presented to the head coach who has “contributed the most to his team’s success,” the National Hockey League announced today.
Members of the NHL Broadcasters’ Association submitted ballots for the Jack Adams Award at the conclusion of the regular season, with the top three vote-getters designated as finalists. The winner will be announced Wednesday, June 24, during the 2015 NHL Awards from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
Following are the finalists for the Jack Adams Award, in alphabetical order:
Bob Hartley, Calgary Flames
Hartley led the Flames (45-30-7, 97 points) to a 20-point gain in standings points over 2013-14, the highest jump among Western Conference teams and third-highest in the League overall, in capturing their first playoff berth since 2009. Calgary was among the NHL’s best late-game teams, tying for first place in overtime wins (nine), ranking second in third-period goal differential (+31), third in wins when trailing after two periods (10) and fifth in points percentage when leading after 40 minutes (.923, 24-1-1). The Flames also recorded 1,557 blocked shots, tops in the League and the highest single-season total since the statistic was introduced. Hartley is a first-time Jack Adams Award finalist.
Peter Laviolette, Nashville Predators
The Predators showed gains across the board in Laviolette’s first season in Nashville. The team’s 47 wins and 104 points were up nine and 16, respectively, over the corresponding figures from 2013-14 as the club qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the first time since 2012. The Predators were dramatically improved on home ice, posting a 28-9-4 mark at Bridgestone Arena after going 19-17-5 there in 2013-14. The team’s goal differential at 5-on-5 went from -21 to +35 and their performance inside the Central Division improved from 12-13-4 to 15-9-5. Laviolette is a Jack Adams Award finalist for the second time, having finished second in voting with Carolina in 2005-06.
Alain Vigneault, New York Rangers
Vigneault guided the Rangers (53-22-7, 113 points) to the Presidents’ Trophy as the NHL’s top regular-season club, establishing franchise records for wins and points. The Rangers also led the NHL and set club records for road wins (28) and points (58) – only the 2005-06 Red Wings have won more games as visitors in a season. New York was dominant at both ends of the ice, ranking third League-wide in both offense (3.02 goals scored per game) and defense (2.28 goals allowed per game). Vigneault is a Jack Adams Award finalist for the fourth time, tying St. Louis’ Ken Hitchcock for the most among active head coaches. He won the trophy in 2006-07 with Vancouver and finished runner-up with Montreal in 1999-2000 and Vancouver in 2010-11.
History
The award was presented by the NHL Broadcasters’ Association in 1974 in honor of the late Jack Adams, longtime coach and general manager of the Detroit Red Wings.
2015 NHL Awards in Las Vegas
A full line up of presenters and entertainment, information on broadcasting and tickets, as well as hospitality and travel packages through PrimeSport will be announced at a future date. In what has become an annual tradition, EA SPORTS will be unveiling the Cover Athlete for the upcoming launch of NHL 16. In addition, fans can enter for a chance to win a trip to the 2015 NHL Awards™ at www.NHL.com/Vegas and tweet about the event using the official hashtag #NHLAwards.
IMG will produce the 2015 NHL Awards™, under the direction of executive producer Steve Mayer.
* Information provided via NHL Press Release
National Hockey League Press Release. Information provided from the NHL that describes various news releases that describe current events in the league.