Bruins’ Montgomery, Kraken’s Hakstol, Devils’ Ruff named finalists for NHL coach of the year

Seattle’s Dave Hakstol, Boston’s Jim Montgomery and New Jersey’s Lindy Ruff have been named the finalists for the Jack Adams Award.

The Adams is presented to the NHL head coach who has “contributed the most to his team’s success.”

Hakstol guided Seattle (46-28-8) to the club’s first-ever berth in the NHL playoffs in just its second season, with the Kraken joining the Vegas Golden Knights and Atlanta Flames (now Calgary Flames) as the only franchises since 1968-69 to start from scratch and reach the post-season within their first two campaigns.

Montgomery, in his first season behind the bench for the Bruins (65-12-5), oversaw a Presidents’ Trophy-winning campaign that rewrote the NHL record book.

Perched atop the Atlantic Division from start to finish — just the fourth team in the NHL’s modern era (since 1943-44) to lead wire-to-wire — the Bruins set league records for most wins (65) and points (135), including an NHL-record 14-game home winning streak from the start of a season (Oct. 15 to Dec. 3).

Ruff led the Devils (52-22-8) to franchise records for wins and points en route to third place in the NHL overall standings, the team’s highest placement since finishing third overall in 2000-01.

They posted a 49-point improvement over 2021-22, the largest year-over-year gain since the League implemented an 82-game schedule in 1995-96.

Members of the NHL Broadcasters’ Association submitted ballots for the Jack Adams Award after the conclusion of the regular season, with the top three vote-getters designated as finalists.

The winner will be revealed live during the 2023 NHL Awards at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena on June 26.

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