Bowness, Brunette, Tocchet unveiled as 2023-24 Jack Adams Award finalists

Three coaches are being recognized for their work behind the bench this season.

On Friday, the NHL announced that Rick Bowness (Winnipeg Jets), Andrew Brunette (Nashville Predators) and Rick Tocchet (Vancouver Canucks) are the three finalists for the Jack Adams Award for coach of the year.

In his 14th year as a head coach, Bowness led the Jets to one of the best seasons in franchise history. The team posted a 52-24-6 record, tying the franchise for most wins in a single season. For a team that came into the season with limited expectations, despite having made it to the playoffs last year, Bowness’ crew climbed up the charts, and were the league’s best team by the midway point of the season. Despite bowing out in the first round of the playoffs, the Jets were certainly one of the most surprising teams this season.

This is the first time Bowness has been named a finalist for the Jack Adams, and the first in the history of the Jets/Atlanta Thrashers franchise.

Brunette took over a Predators team that was fresh off missing the postseason for the first time in almost a decade. Many wondered if this was going to be the team’s rebuilding season, but a franchise-record 18-game point streak that carried from February into March quickly turned almost everyone’s opinions on Nashville. Brunette’s squad ended up locking in the first Wild Card spot in the Western Conference and is in the midst of a series with the last Jack Adams finalist in the first round.

The former NHL forward was a finalist after leading the Florida Panthers to the President’s Trophy in the 2021-22 season, and has become the third coach in NHL history to be named a finalist for the Jack Adams in each of his first two seasons as head coach. Brunette is also the third Preds coach to be named a finalist for the award, joining current Nashville GM Barry Trotz (2009-10, 2010-11) and Peter Laviolette (2014-15).

Tocchet might have come into Vancouver under controversial circumstances, but he has been a big part of orchestrating the quick turnaround for the franchise. Under his guidance, the Canucks not only clinched the team’s first playoff berth in four years, but also won the team’s first division title since 2013. Tocchet’s path to becoming one of the most endeared coaches in the league has not been easy, especially after four tough seasons with the Arizona Coyotes, where he helped the team to its last playoff appearance in 2020.

Tocchet–another first-time finalist–is looking to become the third coach in Canucks history to win the award. Pat Quinn (1992) and Alain Vigneault (2007) previously earned the honor.

Boston Bruins head coach Jim Montgomery won the Jack Adams last year, becoming the record fifth Bruins coach to win the award.