Coaching a team to win the Stanley Cup is a hard feat, but coaching a team to be the best in the regular season is just as tough. Although not all Jack Adams trophy winners have the best overall record during the regular season, as it’s based on which coach is “adjudged to have contributed the most to his team’s success”.
Take this in mind when betting on the overall winner of the trophy this season at the top NHL betting sportsbooks.
History of the Jack Adams Trophy
The Jack Adams Award was first presented in 1974 by the National Broadcasters Association in honor of the late Jack Adams, an NHL hall of famer and long-term coach and general manager of the Detroit Red Wings. Adams coached the team from 1927 to 1947 and was general manager from 1927 until 1962, becoming the longest-serving GM in the league to date.
The trophy is presented to the coach who has contributed the most to his team’s success during the regular season and is voted on by the National Broadcasters Association in a ballot system. The top three votes are designated as the finalists for the award.
Coincidently, only one coach has ever won it in back-to-back seasons, and that was Jaques Demers in 1987 and 1988. Naturally, he was coaching the Detroit Red Wings at the time.
The coach to have won the trophy the most is Pat Burns, who has won it on three occasions with the Montreal Canadiens, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Boston Bruins. Five coaches have won the award on two occasions.
What Lessons We Learned From Recent Winners
The most successful team at the end of the regular season is not going to be the guaranteed winner of the trophy, and for good reason as more often than not the team that ends the regular season with the best record has a strong roster to work with and many pundits, and NHL bettors believe they are naturally going to be in with a shout of finishing the regular season with one of the best overall records.
The angle to look at when looking at recent winners is which coach has outperformed his team’s overall strength. Although some winners do end the season with the best record, only 3 of the previous 15 winning coaches have done so.
The last one was last season with Jim Montgomery winning as the Boston Bruins head coach, it was hard not to give him the award as the Bruins broke the record for the most regular season points ever accumulated in the NHL, finishing the season with 135 total points (22 more than the second best).
Furthermore, 11 of the previous 15 winners have seen their teams end the regular season within the top five overall, with just two winning coaches in recent history finishing way down the best overall record list. Bob Hartley with the Calgary Flames in 2014-15 (16th overall, and final team to make the playoffs) and Paul MacLean with the Ottawa Senators in 2012-13 (13th overall).
Who Are the Favorites to Win the Trophy in 2023-24
The favorites at Bovada (check our Bovada Review) to win the trophy this season are currently:
- Rick Tocchet (Canucks) +185
- Peter Laviolette (Rangers) +600
- John Tortorella (Flyers) +650
As we can see, the Vancouver Canucks’ head coach is by far the biggest favorite in terms of odds at the sportsbooks, and for good reason as the Canucks are currently joint top of the entire league with 62 points, not bad for a team who finished last season with the 11th worst record and failed to make the playoffs.
The NY Rangers have the 5th-best record at the halfway point of the season while the Philadelphia Flyers have the 9th-best record. The Flyers are punching way above their strength as they ended last season with the 8th worst record in the NHL and also failed to make the playoffs.
One coach who hasn’t been ranked inside the top five of the betting is the Winnipeg Jets coach Rick Bowness. His Jets team currently has the joint-best record along with the Canucks, and at +1600, he is a solid future bet alongside both Rick Tocchet and John Tortorella.
