Hakstol, Montgomery, Ruff named Jack Adams Award finalists for top NHL coach
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Dave Hakstol of the Seattle Kraken, Jim Montgomery of the Boston Bruins and Lindy Ruff of the New Jersey Devils have been named the three finalists for the Jack Adams Award, the league announced on Friday.
The award is presented to the coach who has "contributed the most to his team's success."
Hakstol guided the Seattle Kraken to a 46-28-8 record and their first Stanley Cup Playoffs berth in franchise history, in just its second season. Their 19-win and 40-point improvements in their second season each set the mark for largest improvements after a team's inaugural season in NHL history, per the league.
Montgomery led the Bruins on a historic campaign that saw them set the NHL mark for wins in a season (65) and points in a season (135). Montgomery seeks to become the fifth head coach in Bruins history to claim the award, joining Don Cherry (1975-76), Pat Burns (1997-98), Claude Julien (2008-09) and Bruce Cassidy (2019-20).
Ruff's Devils finished with a franchise-record 112 points behind a 52-22-8 record, good enough for third place in the overall NHL standings.
The finalists for the 2023 NHL Awards will be announced through Friday, May 12.