Bruce Cassidy named finalist for the Jack Adams Award

The NHL announced the three finalists for the Jack Adams Award this afternoon, and Bruins head coach Bruce Cassidy made the list!

Cassidy, Columbus Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella, and Philadelphia Flyers coach Alain Vigneault are the three finalists.

It’s a deserved nod for Cassidy, who was also a finalist in 2018; that season, he lost out to Gerard Gallant, who deservedly won for orchestrating the miraculous first-season run by the Vegas Golden Knights.

This season, Cassidy led the Bruins to the NHL’s best record, among a number of other accolades.

Claude Julien was the last Bruins coach to win the Jack Adams, taking home the prize back in 2009.

The NHL Broadcasters’ Association are the ones who voted for this award.

It’s a tough race this year. Cassidy undoubtedly deserved to be a finalist, having coached the league’s best team. However, you could argue that the Bruins were expected to be good, whereas a guy like Vigneault has done a great job with a young Flyers team.

Still, that shouldn’t necessarily discount the job Cassidy has done. You still need good coaching to win, as you can’t skate by on talent alone.

Plus, as you can see in the photo above, Cassidy is responsibly wearing a mask (albeit slightly incorrectly). Bonus points!

The league says the winner will be announced during the Conference Finals, whenever those may be.