As the NHL Awards continue, so do the results of how the other finalists are stacked up for the voting.
The Jack Adams Award went to Jim Montgomery of the Bruins who, in his first season in Boston, led the team to the best regular season record in NHL history before blowing a 3-1 lead in their first-round series against the Panthers.
He wasn’t the only coach that lost to Florida who got votes for the award as Sheldon Keefe finished tied for 11th.
How Jim Montgomery won the Jack Adams.@NHLBruins pic.twitter.com/LwMy2lSm4b
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) June 27, 2023
Keefe, along with Rick Bowness and Paul Maurice, picked up a second-place vote and ended up with three points for the Jack Adams Award. Bear in mind these votes were done before the start of the playoffs so if those results were taken into account, Keefe’s final number would definitely be different.
This is the second straight season Keefe finished 11th in voting for the Jack Adams, when he got one second-place vote and three third-place votes for six points. His highest finish was in 2021 when he finished sixth in voting with a total of 27 points.
While some may scoff at the idea that Keefe would even be in consideration for the award, there is no denying that he has played a part in the Leafs’ strong stretch during the regular season throughout his tenure. He has led the team to two consecutive 50 wins campaigns, the first two in franchise history, and past round one for the first time since 2004.
Keefe’s tactics in the postseason remain a contentious point for the fanbase and there were questions about his long-term future with the organization after his team fell in five to the Panthers. For now, his spot behind the Leafs’ bench remains intact and is projected to get an extension in the coming weeks. Given that there was a real possibility he would not have lasted long on the market had he been relieved of his duties, perhaps that’s a good thing.
The awards remain ongoing and you can catch the action on Sportsnet.
