Las Vegas, NV – After coming up empty on three previous tries, St. Louis Blues head coach Ken Hitchcock was finally honored as the NHL's top coach, taking home the Jack Adams Award.
Hitchcock took over for Davis Payne on November 6 and turned a team languishing with a 6-7-0 record into a Presidents' Trophy contender. The Blues finished the year tied for second in the league with 109 points (49-22-11) and wrested the Central Division away from the rival Red Wings for the first time since 2000.
For the 60-year-old native of Edmonton, it was his fourth career Adams nod. He finished second in 1997, and third in both 1998 and '99, all with the Dallas Stars.
Previous Jack Adams winners from the Blues were Red Berenson (1981), Brian Sutter (1991) and Joel Quenneville (2000).
Other finalists were Paul MacLean of the Ottawa Senators and John Tortorella from the New York Rangers.
Dan Bylsma of the Pittsburgh Penguins won last season.
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