Rick Bowness, Andrew Brunette and Rick Tocchet were named finalists for the Jack Adams Award on Friday.
The winner of the award, which is given annually to the top coach in the NHL as voted on by the National Broadcasters’ Association, will be announced at a later date.
Bowness, 69, led the Winnipeg Jets (52-24-6) to a second-place finish in the Central Division, improving by 15 points from last season (from 95 to 110). Winnipeg allowed the fewest goals in the NHL this season (199, including shootout-deciding goals), and its plus-60 goal differential was fourth. The 52 wins tied for the most in franchise history and the 110 points were the second most (114 in 2017-18).
He missed four games from March 19-24 because of a minor medical procedure, with Winnipeg going 1-3-0. He also missed 11 games and was away from the team from Oct. 23-Nov. 22 after his wife, Judy, suffered a seizure Oct. 22. The Jets went 9-2-2 in his absence.
A first-time finalist, Bowness would be the first Winnipeg coach to win the award.
Hired as coach of the Nashville Predators on May 31, Brunette led the Nashville Predators to a 47-30-5 record and the first wild card into the Stanley Cup Playoffs from the Western Conference after the team failed to qualify for the playoffs last season. The 50-year-old guided Nashville to a franchise-record 18 game point streak (16-0-2) from Feb. 17-March 26 and helped them improve to 10th in the NHL in goals per game (3.24), up from 28th in 2022-23 (2.72), and 16th on the power play (21.6 percent), up from 27th (17.6 percent).
“He came in as a new coach, it was a lot of new players, he brought in a new system, different system,” Predators captain Roman Josi said. “The biggest thing I would say for him is it didn’t always go that well in the beginning, we had our ups and downs, it wasn’t as consistent as probably he would have hoped. But he just stuck with it. He kept believing in us. He believed in us the whole year, he believed in the system, and we just kept chipping at it and got more and more consistent. So well deserved. He’s done an amazing job this year.”
Brunette was runner-up for the Jack Adams in 2021-22 when he guided the Florida Panthers to the Presidents’ Trophy as the team with the best record in the NHL.
He would be the first Predators coach to win the award.
Tocchet, in his first full season as coach of the Vancouver Canucks (50-23-9), led them to first place in the Pacific Division, their first division title in 10 years, and an improvement of 12 wins and 26 points from 2022-23. Vancouver was sixth in goals per game (3.40) and tied for fifth with the Boston Bruins in goals allowed per game (2.70), up from 13th in goals per game (3.29) and 25th in goals against per game (3.61) from last season. The penalty kill was tied with the St. Louis Blues for 17th (79.1 percent), an improvement from 2022-23 when it ranked last in the NHL (71.6 percent).
“Honestly, it’s an organizational award for me,” Tocchet said. “I mean it’s the GM, the ownership, the assistant coaches, the players, like you’re a piece of the puzzle. I think it’s an organizational type of trophy. I’ve got a huge support group that helps me. That’s the way I look at it. I’m just thinking about the game tonight to be honest with you.”
A first-time finalist, Tocchet would be the third Canucks coach to win the award, and first since Alain Vigneault in 2006-07.
Bruins coach Jim Montgomery won the Jack Adams Award last season.
NHL.com deputy managing editor Adam Kimelman contributed to this report
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia – Ottawa‘s Gabriela Dabrowski and Erin Routliffe of New Zealand are through to the doubles final at the WTA Finals after a 7-6 (7), 6-1 victory over Nicole Melichar-Martinez of the United States and Australia’s Ellen Perez in semifinal action Friday.
Dabrowski and Routliffe won a hard-fought first set against serve when Routliffe’s quick reaction at the net to defend a Perez shot gave the duo set point, causing Perez to throw down her racket in frustration.
The second seeds then cruised through the second set, winning match point on serve when Melichar-Martinez couldn’t handle Routliffe’s shot.
The showdown was a rematch of last year’s semifinal, which Melichar-Martinez and Perez won in a super tiebreak.
Dabrowski and Routliffe will face the winner of a match between Katerina Siniakova and Taylor Townsend, and Hao-Ching Chan and Veronika Kudermetova in the final on Saturday.
Dabrowski is aiming to become the first Canadian to win a WTA Finals title.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
