It’s been quite the day for Rod Brind’Amour.
Mere hours after signing a contract extension that ensures he will remain in Carolina for at least the next three years, the Hurricanes’ bench boss was officially named the 2021 winner of the Jack Adams Award on Thursday night, given to the NHL’s top coach.
Brind’Amour, a first-time nominee, is also the first Hurricanes coach to win the award in franchise history. The lone Hurricanes coach to earn a nomination in the franchise’s history prior to Brind’Amour was Peter Laviolette in 2006, when he finished as the runner-up.
The win is not a surprising one for Brind’Amour, given the season he’s had.
The former captain-turned coach guided the Hurricanes to a franchise-record .714 points percentage in 2021, earning their first division crown since 2005-06 while putting up improved year-to-year metrics in a number of crucial areas including goals-for-per-game, goals-allowed per game, power-play percentage, and penalty kill efficiency. After bowing out in the first round of the playoffs to the Boston Bruins in 2020, Brind’Amour helped the Hurricanes improve upon that result as well and earn a series victory this year, easily dispatching the Nashville Predators in six games.
Other coaches to receive first-place votes for the Jack Adams in 2021 were Minnesota’s Dean Evason, Florida’s Joel Quenneville, Colorado’s Jared Bednar, and Pittsburgh’s Mike Sullivan.
