(via NHL Communications) - Craig Berube of the St. Louis Blues, Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Barry Trotz of the New York Islanders are the three finalists for the 2018-19 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 19, during the 2019 NHL Awards™ presented by Bridgestone at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
Following are the finalists for the Jack Adams Award, in alphabetical order:
Craig Berube, St. Louis Blues
Named head coach on Nov. 19 with the Blues in 30th place in the NHL (7-9-3), Berube helped the club surge to a third-place finish in the Central Division by going 38-19-6 the rest of the way. The Blues went 30-10-5 (65 points) from Jan. 1 to the end of the regular season, accumulating the most points among all NHL teams in that span. Among the highlights: a franchise-record 11-game win streak from Jan. 23 – Feb. 19 and a 12-1-1 record in February, tying a franchise mark for wins in a calendar month. Berube, a first-time Jack Adams finalist, would become the fifth coach in Blues history to take home the trophy, joining Ken Hitchcock (2011-12), Joel Quenneville (1999-00), Brian Sutter (1990-91) and Red Berenson (1980-81). Hitchcock was the last Jack Adams winner who took the coaching reins midseason.
Jon Cooper, Tampa Bay Lightning
Cooper guided the Lightning to 62 victories, tied for the most in NHL history with the 1995-96 Detroit Red Wings. The Lightning’s 128 points (62-16-4) ranked fourth in League history, behind only the 1976-77 Montreal Canadiens (132), 1995-96 Red Wings (131) and 1977-78 Canadiens (129). The Lightning became the first team in NHL history to record at least 30 home wins (32-7-2) and 30 road wins (30-9-2) in a season; scored 325 goals, the most by any team in 23 years; and recorded a +103 goal differential, the highest by any team since 2005-06. Tampa Bay finished the season with the top power play (28.2%) and penalty kill (85.0%) units. Cooper, a Jack Adams finalist for the second time following a third-place finish in 2013-14, is vying to become the second coach in Lightning history to capture the award (John Tortorella, 2003-04).
Barry Trotz, New York Islanders
Trotz, who joined the Islanders in 2018-19 after leading the Washington Capitals to the Stanley Cup last season, helped his new team post a 23-point improvement over 2017-18 and yield a League-low 196 goals. The Islanders, who gave up 296 goals in 2017-18, became the first NHL team in a century to allow the fewest goals immediately following the season in which it yielded the most. Trotz, who finished the season fourth on the NHL's all-time coaching wins list (810), has been voted a Jack Adams finalist for the fourth time. He finished second and third, respectively, in consecutive seasons with Nashville in 2009-10 and 2010-11 and captured the award with Washington in 2015-16. He looks to join legendary Islanders bench boss Al Arbour (1978-79) as the second Jack Adams winner in franchise history.
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 Sunday, April 28. The series of announcements continues on Saturday, April 27, when the three finalists for the Calder Memorial Trophy will be unveiled.
2019 NHL Awards™ presented by Bridgestone
The NHL Awards™ returns to Las Vegas this summer at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. The 2019 NHL Awards™ presented by Bridgestone will be held on Wednesday, June 19 at Mandalay Bay Events Center. It marks the first year that the NHL Awards™ will be held at the resort’s sports and entertainment venue and the first time Bridgestone will be the presenting sponsor of the event. NBCSN and Sportsnet will broadcast the event live in the United States and Canada, respectively, at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.
Tickets to the 2019 NHL Awards™ presented by Bridgestone are on sale to the general public at www.nhl.com/awardstickets. This ticket opportunity is available on a first-come, first-served basis, while supplies last.
This will be the 11th year of a successful partnership between Las Vegas and the League and the 10th time the NHL will honor the best hockey players in the world and the top performances of the season in Las Vegas. Las Vegas venues that have hosted the NHL Awards include Palms Hotel (2009-2011), Encore at Wynn Las Vegas (2012, 2014), MGM Grand Garden Arena (2015), The Joint, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino (2016, 2018) and T-Mobile Arena (2017).
A full lineup of presenters and entertainment will be announced at a future date. Fans can tweet about the event using the official hashtag #NHLAwards.
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