GALLANT, RUFF AND TROTZ VOTED JACK ADAMS AWARD FINALISTS
Gerard Gallant of the Florida Panthers, Lindy Ruff of the Dallas Stars and Barry Trotz of the Washington Capitals are the three finalists for the 2015-16 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 22, during the 2016 NHL Awards, hosted by actor Will Arnett, at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.
Following are the finalists for the Jack Adams Award, in alphabetical order:
Gerard Gallant, Florida Panthers
Gallant led the Panthers (47-26-9, 103 points) to the Atlantic Division title and franchise records for wins and points in a season, besting their previous marks of 43 wins and 98 points established in 1999-00. Florida established several other team marks this season, including longest overall winning streak (12: Dec. 15 to Jan. 10), longest home winning streak (7: Dec. 10 to Jan. 3) and longest road winning streak (6: Dec. 15 to Jan. 10). A Jack Adams Award finalist for the first time, Gallant has piloted the Panthers to a double-digit point gain over the previous season in both years at the helm (+25 in 2014-15, +12 in 2015-16).
Lindy Ruff, Dallas Stars
Ruff directed the Stars (50-23-9, 109 points) to the Central Division and Western Conference titles and second place in the NHL overall standings. The team was a League-best 28-8-3 by New Year’s Day and went on to capture its first division title since 2005-06, first conference crown since 2002-03 and reach the 50-win milestone for the first time since 2006-07. The Stars scored a League-leading 265 goals and recorded the third-best goal differential (+37). Ruff is a finalist for the Jack Adams Award for the third time, following consecutive appearances representing the Buffalo Sabres in 2006 (1st) and 2007 (2nd).
Barry Trotz, Washington Capitals
Trotz guided the Capitals (56-18-8, 120 points) to the Presidents’ Trophy as the NHL’s top regular-season club, setting franchise records for total wins and road wins (27). Their 120 points and 29 home wins were just one shy of club records. The Capitals were dominant at both ends of the ice, placing second in team offense (3.02 G/G) and team defense (2.33 GA/G). They also ranked among the League leaders in special teams (5th on the power play, 21.9%, and 2nd in penalty killing, 85.2%). Trotz is a finalist for the Jack Adams Award for the third time, following back-to-back appearances with the Nashville Predators in 2010 (2nd) and 2011 (3rd).
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.
Announcement Schedule
The three finalists for NHL Trophies are being announced by NBC Sports in the United States and Sportsnet/TVA Sports in Canada during pregame programming for the Stanley Cup Playoffs through Saturday, May 7. The series of announcements continues on Friday, May 6, when the three finalists for the Ted Lindsay Award will be unveiled.
A full lineup 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 addition, fans can tweet about the event using the official hashtag #NHLAwards.
* 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.