Nolan Passed Over By NHL For Jack Adams
May 2nd, 2007 by murph
Apparently taking a team expected to finish at the bottom of the league to the playoffs isn’t good enough to even warrant a NOMINATION as Coach of the Year.
Click the link above to see all the NHL Award Nominations.
JACK ADAMS AWARD (outstanding coach): Lindy Ruff, Sabres; Michel Therrien, Penguins; Alain Vigneault, Canucks
Seriously?!
Buffalo - Stacked team. Anything less than the playoffs would have gotten him fired.
Pittsburgh - Another stacked (but young) team. How hard can it be to make the playoffs when you have the Art Ross winner on your team?
Vancouver - Somewhat deserving, just made the playoffs in 2005-06, won the division in 2006-07. Luongo knocking 50+ goals off their GA stats this year probably helped a little.
I’m not saying Ted deserved to win the Jack Adams. After all the Isles just squeaked into the 8th spot, but with no true superstars on this team, he should have at least been nominated.
Ted Nolan, blackballed by the NHL? Never. The NHL just loves Teddy and the Islanders and it shows.
[UPDATE] Steve Zipay at Newsday wonders the same thing this morning…
How is Islanders coach Ted Nolan not a finalist for the Jack Adams Award as coach of the year? Granted, he’s not the best X’s-and-O’s guy, but last year, Rangers coach Tom Renney helped guide a team from the preseason pundits’ basement to the playoffs and was nominated.
Same for Nolan. Despite an aging defense, mostly nothing from Alexei Yashin and the loss of Rick DiPietro to a pair of concussions, his team didn’t quit.
Among the finalists, Lindy Ruff is OK in my book. But Vancouver’s Alain Vigneault? Once you pencil in Roberto Luongo every night, is there much else to do? Pittsburgh’s Michael Therrien? Give me Sidney Crosby, Jordan Staal, Evgeni Malkin, Mark Recchi, Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney and I’ll win some games.
Is there some conspiracy against Nolan among the NHL Broadcasters Association? One voter with no allegiance to the Islanders told me his ballot included Nolan and was surprised that more of his colleagues didn’t vote for him. Another good choice? Minnesota’s Jacques Lemaire. His system allowed the Wild, without leading scorer Martin Gaborik for much of the season, to finish 20 points higher than in 2005-06.
fauxrumors Says
1) We had no problem with either Vigneault’s or Therrien’s selection as an Adams finalist Though we maintain that Therrien is NOT a good coach, his team did post an impressive turnaround, but its likely that even if you had a chimp behind the bench of the Penguins this past year the final 3 Adams candidates would include a banana eater! LOL
2) Ruff has no place on the list. He shouldn’t have won last year and should NOT even have been nominated this year. The Sabres did NOT improve all that much from last season.
3) Vigneault did have who we believe is the league MVP (Hart winner) in Luongo, but no one expected the Canucks to win their division and do nearly as well in the very tough western conference. He’s the winner in our opinion
4) Nolan could have easily been among the top 3, as nobody gave the Islanders a chance in hell to even sniff a playoff spot. If not for a freaky injury to DiPietro the isles finish 6th and probably win their opening round against the hapless Thrashers.
May 2nd, 2007 at 12:41 pm