NEW YORK, May 19, 2022 – New York Rangers Head Coach Gerard Gallant has been named a finalist for the Jack Adams Award, an award presented annually “to the coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team’s success.” The winners of the 2022 NHL Awards will be revealed during the Conference Finals and Stanley Cup Final, with exact dates, format and times to be announced.
Gallant, 58, is a Jack Adams finalist for the third time in his career, winning the award with Vegas in 2017-18 and earning a Top-3 finish in 2015-16 with Florida. Gallant is the 15th coach, since the award was first presented in 1973-74, to be named a finalist for Jack Adams in three-or-more seasons. He becomes the ninth coach to be named a finalist for three or more different teams, joining John Tortorella, Scotty Bowman, Alain Vigneault, Pat Burns, Barry Trotz, Pat Quinn, Joel Quenneville, and Brian Sutter.
Gallant joins Alain Vigneault (2014-15), John Tortorella (2011-12), Tom Renney (2005-06), Roger Neilson (1989-90, 1991-92), and Fred Shero (1978-79) as the only Rangers coaches to be a finalist for the award. No Rangers coach has ever won the Jack Adams Award.
In his first season at the helm with the Blueshirts, Gallant led the Rangers to a 52-24-6 mark for 110 points. Their 52 wins were tied for the second most in team history and their 110 points were the third most in a single season in franchise history.
With the 50-plus wins, Gallant became the second head coach in NHL history to record 50-plus wins in their first season with multiple franchises (also 51 w/ VGK in 2017-18), joining Mike Keenan (53 w/ PHI in 1984-85, 52 w/NYR in 1993-94).
With Gallant behind the bench, multiple Rangers brought their games to new heights. Of the 25 active skaters at the end of the regular season, 18 recorded or tied their career highs in either goals, assists, or points. Eight skaters notched career-highs in all three categories. In addition, the 2021-22 Rangers were the 10th team in NHL history, and first since Pittsburgh in 2011-12, to finish with at least 50 wins, at least 100 points, and had a 50-goal scorer, a 90-point scorer, and a goalie with at least 36 wins.
Other finalists for the award are Florida’s Andrew Brunette and Calgary’s Darryl Sutter.