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6.0: Every hockey coach
I hate to stereotype here, but aren't they all basically the same guy? Same reactions, same cheap suit. … Can you even name five NHL coaches? I watched the entire Winter Olympics and can't even remember who coached Team USA or Team Canada, yet I could name about six curling coaches at this point.
Bill Simmons, March 12, 2010
Any good hockey fan is probably aware of the inaccuracy of the theory that all NHL coaches are "basically the same guy". That shows a naivety when it comes to the sport as a whole, not just the National Hockey League. I don't want to dwell too much on Simmons' mistake, though, but instead to use that as a launching pad for the best coaches of the 2009-10 campaign thus far.
What follows, then, is a quick rundown of who the leading candidates are for the Jack Adams Trophy- the NHL's award for coach of the year. I've listed them in order of most probably winning to least probably winning, so follow after the jump for more!
1. Dave Tippett, Phoenix Coyotes
What Tippett has done in Phoenix has been nothing short of incredible. As of press time, his Coyotes are firmly seated in fourth place with home ice advantage in the Western Conference. Last year, the Coyotes finished with 79 points--six less than they've accumulated this year. His best forward is Shane Doan, and his blueline is lead by Ed Jovanovski. Yeah. Certainly, some of the success can be attributed to the Vezina-worthy performance of Ilya Bryzgalov, but having lost what was then leading scorer Scottie Upshall to a season-ending injury, it'd be hard to call the Yotes' year a fluke anymore. Tippett probably has the fewest bullets in his chamber out of any Jack Adams peers- Wojtek Wolski, Shane Doan, and Matthew Lombardi certainly don't match up with Alex Ovechkin, Nick Backstrom, and Mike Green, which is further ammunition for his winning the award. I'd be shocked if he didn't hoist the trophy come award season.
2. Joe Sacco, Colorado Avalanche
Taking one of the youngest rosters in the NHL and turning them into a competitive team surely seemed like an impossible task at the beginning of the year for Sacco. Well, he's done more than that. The Avalanche are plowing right towards the postseason, and Joe Sacco has Calder trophy candidate Matt Duchene and dark horse Vezina candidate Craig Anderson playing out of their minds. They've fought through inconsistent defensive play and injuries to older players like Milan Hejduk and Marek Svatos to become a staple in the West's top eight. The jury's still out on the Avs, though, as goalie Anderson is an unknown playoff commodity and the special teams may need work.
3. Cory Clouston, Ottawa Senators
No Dany Heatley? No problem for the Sens, who have improved since losing what was once their franchise player for basically Milan Michalek. The most impressive thing to me has been Clouston's ability to win regardless of goaltenders. Pascal Leclaire has had injury problems, which forced Clouston to play the likes of Brian Elliott and Mike Brodeur (no relation to Martin). He's coached the team through injuries to captain Daniel Alfredsson and top center Jason Spezza, yet they maintain a firm grip on the East's fifth seed.
4. Barry Trotz, Nashville Predators
If it seems to you that we come to Trotz every year for this discussion, its because he does the same thing year in and year out. Once again Coach Trotz has taken a roster full of lunch-pail type players and molded them into one of the toughest outs in the league. The Predators have largely fixed the scoring problems of past years, and are nearly unbeatable (20-2-0) when leading after the first period. Poor special teams notwithstanding, you won't find anyone who wants to draw Nashville in the first round. Trotz has coached a roster with Paul Kariya, Peter Forsberg, and Alexander Radulov, but this may be his most playoff-ready team yet. Its perhaps the ho-hum success the Predators enjoy that will keep him from major Adams consideration.
5. Bruce Boudreau, Washington Capitals
Flying somewhat under the radar thanks to boasting several of the leagues top players in Ovechkin, Backstrom, Green, and Alexander Semin, Boudreau's job shouldn't be overlooked. When you take into consideration the unstable goaltending of Jose Theodore and Semyon Varlamov, and the predominantly offensive blueline, its impressive that "Gabby" is able to craft a squad capable of blowing away the field for the President's Trophy. Its likely that these same things (scoring and record) will steer the voters away from Boudreau, because, lets face it-- he hasn't worked miracles in the way that Tippett or Sacco have.
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