Rick Tocchet of the Vancouver Canucks, Rick Bowness of the Winnipeg Jets, and Andrew Brunette of the Nashville Predators are the finalists for the Jack Adams Award, the NHL announced on Friday.
Tocchet, 60, led the Canucks to a Pacific Division title with a 50-23-9 record this season. Vancouver saw a 26-point difference in the standings from last season and hosted its first playoff game in nine years.
The Canucks hired Tocchet on Jan. 22, 2023, and, since joining the team, the Scarborough, Ont., native has a 70-35-13 record.
Bowness, 69, led the Jets to a 52-24-6 record, finishing just three points behind the Dallas Stars for the top post in the Central Division. It was the second time in franchise history that the Jets finished with more than 100 points in a season.
This is Bowness’ second season in Winnipeg and the Moncton, N.B., native has a 98-50-12 record since returning.
Brunette, 50, led the Nashville Predators back to the post-season with a 47-30-5 record. His club was out of the playoff picture on Feb. 15 with a 27-25-2 record but made a big surge up the standings by setting a franchise record with an 18-game point streak, where the team went 16-0-2 in that stretch.
This is the second time Brunette has been nominated for the Jack Adams. He was also nominated in his rookie season as head coach of the Florida Panthers, where he led the team to a 51-18-6 record after taking over for Joel Quenneville.
The Jack Adams Award is named after the Hall of Fame player and former Detroit Red Wings coach and general manager, and is voted on by the NHL Broadcasters’ Association.