SUTTER NAMED JACK ADAMS FINALIST

In his first full season back with the Flames, Darryl Sutter has been named a Jack Adams finalist.

The award is presented to the head coach who has “contributed the most to his team’s success,” the National Hockey League announced today.

Members of the NHL Broadcasters’ Association submitted ballots for the Jack Adams Award after the conclusion of the regular season, with the top three vote-getters designated as finalists. 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

Sutter returned to Calgary in 2021-22 for his second stint behind the bench and oversaw the biggest season-over-season improvement by any team in the League. The Flames, who missed the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2020-21 (26-27-3, .491), stormed to the Pacific Division title with the NHL’s sixth-best record (50-21-11, .677). They climbed from 19th to 6th in goals-per-game (2.77 to 3.55) and improved from 16th to 3rd in goals-against per contest (2.86 to 2.51). Sutter is a Jack Adams Award finalist for the second time, coming 18 years after his third-place finish in 2003-04 during his first coaching tenure in Calgary. He aims to become the second winner in franchise history, following Bob Hartley’s victory in 2014-15, and would match the feat of his brother Brian Sutter, who won the award with the St. Louis Blues in 1990-91.

Andrew Brunette of the Florida Panthers and Gerard Gallant of the New York Rangers are the other finalists this yar.