It would be a huge upset -- not to mention a major injustice -- if first-year Colorado Avalanche head coach Patrick Roy does not win the Jack Adams Award this year as NHL Coach of the Year. What is perhaps more of a dilemma is figuring out who deserves to be the other two finalists for the award this year.
By my count, there are at least five other coaches worthy of a top three spot this season: Philadelphia's Craig Berube, Tampa's Jon Cooper, Boston's Claude Julien, Anaheim's Bruce Boudreau and St. Louis' Ken Hitchcock. For the latter three, just because a coach has a team that is expected to win does not mean he is not doing an outstanding job of getting the club to play to its potential. In some ways, that's every bit as tough as getting a preseason underdog to overachieve.
I will add yet another name in the mix: If Dallas gets into the playoffs this season for the first time in years, the job that Lindy Ruff has done deserves consideration for the Jack Adams as well.
Who is your second-place pick this year?