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Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet named finalist for NHL’s Jack Adams Award

Originally posted on Canucksarmy | By Jagraj Lalli | Last updated 5/3/24

On Friday morning, Vancouver Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet was named one of the three finalists for the prestigious 2023-24 Jack Adams Award. This award, presented to the head coach who has “contributed the most to his team’s success,” marks a large achievement for Tocchet in his first full season behind the Vancouver bench. Under Tocchet’s leadership, the Canucks secured one of their best regular seasons in franchise history, clinching the Pacific Division title and claiming the No. 3 seed in the Western Conference with an impressive record of 50-23-9, for a total of 109 points.

Rick Bowness, Andrew Brunette and Rick Tocchet are the three finalists for the 2023-24 Jack Adams Award.
#NHLAwards: https://t.co/a2U28zHmZf pic.twitter.com/vTJloBG1QQ

— NHL Public Relations (@PR_NHL) May 3, 2024

Tocchet’s nomination for the Jack Adams Award comes after a voting process by members of the NHL Broadcasters’ Association, who submitted their ballots after the conclusion of the regular season. Among other notable nominees for the award are Rick Bowness of the Winnipeg Jets and Andrew Brunette of the Nashville Predators, both of whom achieved remarkable success in guiding their respective teams to strong regular-season performances.

Since joining the Canucks late in the 2022-23 season, Tocchet has put together a remarkable transformation within the organization, elevating them from playoff hopefuls to legitimate contenders. As a first-time finalist for the Jack Adams Award, Tocchet hopes to join the ranks of past Canucks winners, including Pat Quinn in 1991-92 and Alain Vigneault in 2006-07. Tocchet’s nomination marks the first time a Canucks head coach has been a finalist for the award since Vigneault finished second in the 2010-11 season.

Under Tocchet, the team ascended from 22nd to sixth in the overall NHL standings. Furthermore, significant progress was made in various statistical categories, including points earned at home, average goals-against per game, and penalty-killing percentage.

“It’s an organizational award for me. It’s the owner, the GM, the coaching staff, the players. That’s the way I look at it, and I’m just focused on the game tonight.” – Rick Tocchet on being a Jack Adams nominee. #Canucks

— Thomas Drance (@ThomasDrance) May 3, 2024

Boston’s Jim Montgomery is the reigning Jack Adams winner, as the Bruins set an NHL record for most wins in a season with 65 last year.

The NHL Awards ceremony scheduled for late June promises to be a great occasion for the Canucks as Tocchet will be joined by his goaltender Thatcher Demko and Captain Quinn Hughes. Demko and Hughes received nominations for the Vezina and Norris Trophies respectively.

This article first appeared on Canucksarmy and was syndicated with permission.

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