The National Hockey League has revealed the three finalists for the prestigious Jack Adams Award, presented annually to the league`s top head coach. This year`s nominees are Scott Arniel of the Winnipeg Jets, Martin St. Louis of the Montreal Canadiens, and Spencer Carbery from the Washington Capitals.
The league announced the nominees on Friday, following a voting process conducted by the NHL Broadcasters’ Association.
In his inaugural season as the Jets` head coach, Arniel steered Winnipeg to the top of the overall league standings with a record of 56-22-4 and 116 points. This outstanding performance earned the Jets their first Presidents` Trophy in franchise history.
Arniel`s nomination marks the second consecutive season a Winnipeg coach has been recognized as a finalist for the award. Rick Bowness, the previous head coach, finished third in the voting during the 2023-24 season.
Speaking in St. Louis on Friday ahead of the Jets` playoff game against the Blues, Arniel expressed his gratitude, stating, “It`s a tremendous honour.” He highlighted the collective effort, adding, “Our coaching staff came in with a clear mindset and plan starting in training camp. Success wouldn`t be possible without the players` commitment. I`m appreciative of this, but we`re currently focused on other, bigger goals right now.”
Under the guidance of St. Louis, Montreal (40-31-11, 91 points) secured its first berth in the post-season since 2020-21 and achieved its best regular-season record since the 2018-19 campaign. St. Louis, now in his third full season coaching the Canadiens, is the club`s first Adams finalist since Guy Carbonneau received the honour in 2007-08, finishing as the runner-up.
If successful, St. Louis would become the third Montreal coach to win the Jack Adams Award, joining the ranks of Scotty Bowman (1976-77) and Pat Burns (1988-89).
St. Louis commented on his nomination, saying, “I`m nominated for this trophy, but for me, it`s simply recognition for the team.” He acknowledged the support from management, stating, “You don`t reach this point without the confidence shown by Geoff Molson, Kent (Hughes), and Gorts (Jeff Gorton) in taking a chance on a former player, so to speak.” Emphasizing the importance of teamwork, he added, “As a coach, you`re only as effective as your staff, your support team, my assistant coaches, and the players` commitment. To me, that`s the foundation. It`s a team award, and I believe we wouldn`t be nominated unless everyone was working towards a common goal. So I`m very proud that, as an organization, we`ve received this nomination.”
During his stellar playing career in the NHL, St. Louis earned four individual accolades: the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, Art Ross Trophy, Hart Memorial Trophy, and Ted Lindsay Award. His noteworthy success behind the Canadiens` bench is remarkable considering his limited formal coaching experience, though he often felt he possessed a coaching perspective while still playing.
“It`s certainly flattering,” he remarked about his playing experience influencing his coaching. “But I would say that during my last 10 years in the NHL, I was essentially coaching extensively on the ice. I gained significant experience then. You can verify that with my former teammates.”
Carbery, a native of Victoria, guided the Washington Capitals (51-22-9, 111 points) to the second-best overall record in the NHL during his second season as head coach. Under his leadership, the Capitals also clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time since the 2016-17 season.
Carbery is aiming to become the fourth coach in Washington Capitals history to win the Adams Award, joining the esteemed group of Bryan Murray (1983-84), Bruce Boudreau (2007-08), and Barry Trotz (2015-16).
