What is the Jack Adams Award? 2024 finalists, record holders and history explored

The Jack Adams Award is awarded annually to the coach "adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success."

The winner of the NHL's Coach of the Year award is selected by a poll of the National Hockey League Broadcasters Association at the end of the regular season.

The award is named after Jack Adams, a former NHL player and longtime coach of the Detroit Red Wings. The award was first given after the 1973–74 regular season.

2024 Jack Adams finalists

On Friday, the NHL announced the finalists for the Jack Adams Award.

The three finalists are Rick Bowness of the Winnipeg Jets, Andrew Brunette of the Nashville Predators and Rick Tocchet of the Vancouver Canucks.

Bowness is the first finalist in Jets/Thrashers history. This is also his first time being nominated in his 14th NHL year as a head coach. He led the Jets to the playoffs this season.

Brunette entered his first year as the coach of the Predators with low expectations, but he led the team to the playoffs. He is a Jack Adams finalist for the second time in his career. He was a finalist in the 2020-21 NHL season when he was the coach of the Florida Panthers.

Tocchet led the Canucks to first place in the Pacific Division and to the playoffs. He helped the team go from 22nd overall to sixth overall in the NHL in one season. He's a first-time Jack Adams finalist.

Jack Adams Award record holders

Jacques Demers is the only coach in NHL history to win the Jack Adams Award in back-to-back years. As the head coach of the Red Wings, he won the award in the 1986-87 season and 1987-88 season.

Jacques Lemaire, Pat Quinn, Scotty Bowman, Barry Trotz and John Tortorella have won the award with two teams. Pat Burns is the only coach with three Jack Adams awards.

The closest Jack Adams Award voting came in 2006 when Lindy Ruff edged out Peter Laviolette by a single point.

The first-ever winner of the Jack Adams Award was Fred Shero of the Philadelphia Flyers.