Boston Bruins coach Bruce Cassidy has won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL coach of the year.
The voting for the award is done by hockey broadcasters. Philadelphia Flyers coach Alain Vigneault received the second most votes while Columbus Blue Jackets coach John Tortorella came in third.
Cassidy led the Bruins to the Stanley Cup Finals last year, where they lost to the St. Louis Blues after taking them to Game 7. The Bruins took the Presidents’ Trophy this year, which is awarded to the team that finished the regular season with the most points.
The Bruins seemed to be set for another good performance in the playoffs this year once the season restarted after it halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, their star goaltender Tuukka Rask opted out of the playoffs because of an undisclosed family issue, leaving them with two fairly inexperienced goalies, Jaroslav Halak and rookie Dan Vladar.
The Bruins’ season ended with a loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the second round.
Boston is Cassidy’s second coaching job. He was fired from the Washington Capitals in the 2003-2004 season after only 25 games. He then went back to coach junior hockey and wait for his next chance in the NHL.
Since Cassidy replaced Claude Julien during the 2016-17 season, the Bruins have made the playoffs every year.
