It’s official! Head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers, Alain Vigneault, has been named a finalist for the 2020 Jack Adams Award. Just a season ago, the Flyers finished sixth in the Metropolitan Division. In Vigneault’s first season in Philadelphia, the Flyers finished second in the Metropolitan Division. As great coaches do, they squeeze the absolute best from their players to put forth a borderline elite product.
The 2019-2020 season has been out of control. Some of the best advice anyone can take heed is to “control what you can control.” That method applied when losing young players to injury and having to restart after a pandemic stricken season. Alain Vigneault has shown how focused and committed he is to hockey. When he arrived in Philadelphia, his buzz wasn’t overhyped.
When installing success into a franchise hungry for a championship, it’s apropos to call upon a coach who can win. Throughout his NHL coaching career, Alain Vigneault has finished first in his division seven times. Maybe, more importantly, the last time he finished second in a division, that team appeared in the Stanley Cup Finals. It’s not by accident that Vigneault finds himself a finalist for the Jack Adams Award. He’s won the award once before.
In his first season with the Philadelphia Flyers, the points percentage in the standings reflects 64.5%. Alain Vigneault has eclipsed that percentage three other times in his coaching career. Each of those times, his team finished first in the division (twice with the Vancouver Canucks and once with the New York Rangers). The other finalists for the 2020 Jack Adams Award are John Tortorella and Bruce Cassidy. This is the fifth time that Vigneault has been named a finalist for this prestigious NHL coaching award.
Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
