Calgary Flames coach Darryl Sutter among finalists for Jack Adams Award
Calgary Flames head coach Darryl Sutter is among the three finalists for the Jack Adams Award, presented annually to the National Hockey League's coach of the year.
Andrew Brunette of the Florida Panthers and Gerard Gallant of the New York Rangers are the other two finalists.
Sutter started his second stint behind the Flames bench on March 4, 2021, as a mid-season replacement for the fired Geoff Ward. After the Flames missed the playoffs in 2020-21, Sutter oversaw the biggest season-over-season improvement by any team in the NHL. The Flames captured the Pacific Division title and posted the NHL's sixth-best record (50-21-11) in 2021-22.
They currenly lead the Oilers by a game in the second round of the NHL playoffs.
Sutter said he felt fortunate to work for the Flames owners.
"I've been fortunate to be in the places I've been and with the owners and the types of teams you'd like to see have success" Sutter said.. "You get to the point where you can not pick and choose but you don't have to go through a process to take that position so good."
Sutter added that he wasn't too worried about whether he wins it or not.
"The way I look at it, I don't need that on my resume," Sutter said. "Some guys do so I'd rather see young guys win it quite honest over guys that have got a raw deal somewhere. I look at a guy like Gerard (Gallant) he got a raw deal in Florida, he got a raw deal in Vegas. If I had a vote I know who I'd vote for," he laughed.
Flames centre Elias Lindholm will be rooting for Sutter.
"Real good coach and obviously the coaching staff as well has been really good," Lindholm said. "We're all excited for them and him to be nominated for that award, so it's good to see that the organization is doing pretty well."
Goaltender Jacob Markstrom praised Sutter's emphasis on preparation.
"You know from the time Darryl came until obviously in the summer it was really huge," Markstrom said. "Something he pushed on (us) was that we need to prepare to play deep and prepare to go long in the playoffs."
"The structure and the way he wanted - he could really put a stamp on it when you have a full training camp and you have the summer and I thought he's done a great job with that in the way we play."
Brunette led the Panthers (58-18-6) to the first Presidents' Trophy in franchise history as the NHL's top regular-season team.
Gallant became just the second head coach in franchise history to win 50-plus games in his first season, guiding the Rangers (52-24-6) to their best record since capturing the Presidents' Trophy in 2014-15.
The winners of the 2022 NHL Awards will be revealed sometime during the conference finals and Stanley Cup final.
With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cargo ship had engine maintenance in port before Baltimore bridge collapse, officials say
The cargo ship that lost power and crashed into a bridge in Baltimore underwent 'routine engine maintenance' in port beforehand, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
Donald Trump assails judge and his daughter after gag order in N.Y. hush-money criminal case
Donald Trump lashed out Wednesday at the New York judge who put him under a gag order that bars him from commenting publicly about witnesses, prosecutors, court staff and jurors in his upcoming hush-money criminal trial.
Families shocked after Niagara Falls hotel cancels bookings made year in advance of solar eclipse
After having the foresight to book their Niagara Falls hotel rooms more than a year in advance, several families planning to take in the solar eclipse next month were shocked to find out their reservations had been cancelled.
B.C. rescuers face 'high likelihood' of failure to reunite orphaned orca with pod
The race to reunite an orphaned orca calf that’s stuck in a shallow lagoon with a neighbouring pod has entered its fifth day, and a marine scientist says the clock is ticking.
Video shows police interrupting auto theft in progress outside Toronto home
New video footage obtained by CP24 shows the attempted theft of a vehicle in a North York driveway earlier this month that was ultimately interrupted by police.
Majority of Canadians believe in life after death: Angus Reid survey
A new survey from the Angus Reid Institute has found that a majority of Canadians believe in some form of life after death, a proportion that has held steady for decades.
MyPillow, owned by U.S. election denier Mike Lindell, formally evicted from Minnesota warehouse
A court ordered the eviction Wednesday of MyPillow from a suburban Minneapolis warehouse that it formerly used.