Montgomery, Hakstol, Ruff named Jack Adams Award finalists

Jim Montgomery of the Boston Bruins, Dave Hakstol of the Seattle Kraken, and Lindy Ruff of the New Jersey Devils were named finalists on Friday for the 2023 Jack Adams Award, given annually to the head coach "adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success."

The honor is voted on by members of the league's broadcasters association.

Montgomery guided the Bruins to the best regular season in NHL history, collecting records in wins (65) and points (135). Boston led the Atlantic Division wire-to-wire, and its plus-128 led the league by 61. He accomplished all this in his first season with the club.

Hakstol oversaw a remarkable turnaround for the Kraken, who improved by 40 points this year after a disappointing inaugural campaign as the NHL's 32nd franchise. Seattle earned its first-ever playoff berth in 2022-23 and shocked the hockey world by eliminating the defending champion Colorado Avalanche in a seven-game thriller in Round 1.

Ruff established Devils franchise records in wins (52) and points (112), and helped the club snap a four-year playoff drought with the league's third-best record. New Jersey won 13 games in a row early in the year to establish itself as a Metropolitan Division powerhouse and erase the angst of a restless fanbase that famously chanted "Fire Lindy" after a slow start to the campaign.

This marks Ruff's fourth nomination for the award. He won it in 2006 with the Buffalo Sabres, and he was a finalist in 2007 with the same club as well as in 2016 with the Dallas Stars.