Trophy Tracker: Jack Adams

To mark the midway point of the 2021-22 regular season, NHL.com is running its third installment of the Trophy Tracker series this week. Today, we look at the race for the Jack Adams Award, given annually to the top coach in the NHL as selected in a vote by the NHL Broadcasters' Association.

Mike Sullivan has yet to win the Jack Adams Award. In fact, he has never been a finalist since replacing Mike Johnston as coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins on Dec. 12, 2015.
By the end of the 2015-16 season, he became the sixth NHL coach to win the Stanley Cup following a midseason coaching change, helping the Penguins become the first repeat champions (2016, '17) since the Detroit Red Wings (1997, '98). Since becoming Penguins coach, he has led Pittsburgh to 277 wins, the third-most in the NHL during that span, behind only the Washington Capitals (289) and Tampa Bay Lightning (297).
A panel of 16 NHL.com writers hasn't overlooked Sullivan this season. He's the favorite to win the Jack Adams Award after receiving 44 voting points, including seven first-place votes. New York Rangers coach Gerard Gallant received 44 points, including one first-place vote. Rod Brind'Amour of the Carolina Hurricanes was third with 37 points, including one for first place, and Andrew Brunette of the Florida Panthers was fourth with 34 votes and four first-place votes. Others receiving one first-place vote were John Hynes of the Nashville Predators (31 points), Jared Bednar of the Colorado Avalanche (nine) and Dean Evason of the Minnesota Wild (nine).
Even with the impressive resume, Sullivan may be doing his best work this season. The Penguins won 10 consecutive games from Dec. 4-Jan. 6. The Penguins won 10 consecutive games from Dec. 4-Jan. 6 and their 16 victories (16-2-0) since the start of the winning streak are tied with the Colorado Avalanche for first in the NHL in that stretch.
Not bad for a Penguins team expected to be in transition following three straight first-round exits from the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
The Penguins (25-10-5) began this season without centers Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin because of injury, have played without forwards Jake Guentzel, Bryan Rust and Jason Zucker (injuries), and Crosby, Guentzel, Rust, forward Jeff Carter, defensemen Kris Letang and Brian Dumoulin, and goalie Tristan Jarry at various points because of NHL COVID-19 protocol.
Jan. 19 was the first time Pittsburgh practiced with all its regular players.
Forwards Evan Rodrigues and Danton Heinen have stepped up, playing significant minutes and flourishing under Sullivan's culture and leadership.
The Penguins are fully entrenched in the playoff picture, holding the third spot in the Metropolitan Division and tied in points with the first wild card, the Washington Capitals. They are 13 points ahead of the Detroit Red Wings.
"Coaches usually fall under one of two categories: there's real boss-type men who order people to do things, and then guys who convince people to do things," Penguins president of hockey operations Brian Burke told NHL Network Radio on Jan. 9. "You have to be a general, there's lots of colonels. You look at the hierarchy of the U.S. Army, for every general, there's 20 colonels, probably higher. This guy is a general."
Malkin didn't start the season until Jan. 11 after having knee surgery June 4. Crosby missed the first seven games recovering from wrist surgery, returned for one, and then missed another five while in COVID-19 protocol. Rust missed 22 games, Guentzel six and Letang four. The Penguins persevered because they believe in the system and their coach.
"When we make lineup decisions with players, I usually have an honest conversation and explain the reasons why," Sullivan said Jan. 19. "The reality is when everybody's healthy on our team, we've got a competitive roster. We all look at that as a good thing. It's that internal healthy competition that I think all keeps us at our very best."
Voting totals (points awarded on a 5-4-3-2-1- basis): Mike Sullivan, Pittsburgh Penguins, 44 points (7 first-place votes); Gerard Gallant, New York Rangers, 44 (1); Rod Brind'Amour, Carolina Hurricanes, 37 (1); Andrew Brunette, Florida Panthers, 34 (4); John Hynes, Nashville Predators, 31 (1); Dallas Eakins, Anaheim Ducks, 10; Jared Bednar, Colorado Avalanche, 9 (1); Dean Evason, Minnesota Wild, 9 (1); Jon Cooper, Tampa Bay Lightning, 9; Todd McLellan, Los Angeles Kings, 7; Bruce Boudreau, Vancouver Canucks, 4; Craig Berube, St. Louis Blues, 1; Darryl Sutter, Calgary Flames, 1.
NHL.com independent correspondents Dave McCarthy and Wes Crosby contributed to this report