2011 NHL Awards Preview: John Tortorella Might Take Home the Jack Adams Award

New York Rangers bench boss John Tortorella is an interesting man to say the least. He is a very vocal and expressive coach who expects a lot from his players. He is a Stanley Cup winner and is also currently the leader in wins for American-born coaches in NHL history.

For any NHL franchise, the head coach is an integral part in the success and failures of that team. Tortorella was the interim coach for the Rangers in the 1999-2000 season. Tortorella returned to the Rangers in the 2008-09 season. Tortorella has done a superb job this season, as the Rangers are a lot better than their seventh seed ranking in the Eastern Conference indicates.

The Rangers are a talented team that has been battered and bruised this entire season. When the Rangers are healthy, they can be a force to be reckoned with. These injuries have really handicapped Tortorella’s ability to coach. Key players such as Marian Gaborik, Vinny Prospal and Ryan Callahan have been out of the lineup for extended periods of time this season, so Tortorella has had to rely on youngsters to carry the offense. When the youth of your organization is leading the way, sometimes things can get dicey. That has not been the case this season. 

Analyzing the Rangers current roster indicates that the majority of the team is made up of young and upcoming stars. These stars include Derek Stepan, Mats Zuccarello, Michael Sauer and Ryan McDonagh among others. It is very hard as a coach to have an extremely young team in any market, never mind in New York City. When the playoffs roll around, there will be few players that have playoff experience.

Some young players have difficulty processing the initial playoff experience; it can become overwhelming and too much to handle, and as a result they are prone to crack under pressure. This is one reason why it’s been Tortorella’s philosophy to push his players all year long so that they can be a greatly conditioned team. Earlier in the year, Tortorella openly criticized star players like Gaborik and goaltender Henrik Lundqvist. He let this be known in a post-game press conference.

"Let's call a spade a spade,” Tortorella remarked. “Our goaltending hasn't been there. Certainly not at the level it needs to be at this time of year…I'm not calling out Hank (Lundqvist), but I need to be honest. Our goaltending hasn't been good enough."

It is apparent that Henrik Lundqvist and Marian Gaborik have responded since then. Henrik Lundqvist has been white-hot as of late and is the reason the Rangers stand where they are. Marian Gaborik has also gotten his touch back by contributing to the offense in spurts as of late.

One of the biggest improvements to the Rangers as a whole has been their conditioning.

In the past, the Rangers were a slow team that would tire out in the third period. But with Tortorella’s emphasis on conditioning, the current Rangers squad seems to find a second wind from the end of the second, and it rolls into the third period. Through rigorous practices and a lot of hard work, the Rangers have readied themselves to perform at an elite level down the stretch of the season.

This is why Tortorella should be considered for the Jack Adams Award this season, handed out at season’s end to the top coach in the league. Tortorella won the award back in the 2003-2004 season when he coached the Tampa Bay Lighting to the Stanley Cup championship.

Through Tortorella’s guidance and line shifting, the Rangers have been in the playoff picture all season. He’s been a master at exacting a maximum of results from line juggling. This includes the recent pairing of Wotej Wolski with rookies Derek Stepan and Mats Zuccarello. This line has been consistent and will hopefully continue to be successful in the future.  

It would be remiss not to mention that coaches like Dan Bylsma, Guy Boucher and Alain Vigneault are the favorites for this award. Jacques Lemaire was in the conversation until the Devils lost some key games unofficially ending their playoff hopes. Bylsma has commanded a team that has missed Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin for most of the season and the Penguins are threatening the Flyers for the Atlantic Division title.

Guy Boucher has done a fabulous job with the Tampa Bay Lighting. Along with help from Steve Yzerman, the Lighting have been a dominant force in the Southeast Division this year. Steven Stamkos and Martin St. Louis are a feared one-two combo that can give goalies nightmares.

Last but certainly not least Alain Vigneault has coached the Vancouver Canucks to outstanding heights. The Canucks are led offensively by Daniel and Henrik Sedin and they are the favorites to win it all out west.

John Tortorella has a lot of opportunity ahead of him. When none of the Rangers' young prospects were dealt at the trade deadline, it sent a message to the fans that Tortorella and general manager Glen Sather were investing in these players for the future. This understanding and manipulation of the talent available, combined with the on-ice results despite massive injuries, are the high points in Tortorella’s candidacy for the Adams award. We’ll see if those voting catch on.

Comments, Questions, Concerns? 

Contact and follow me on Twitter @SH_TomUrtzNYR

Email me: [e-mail]

Interested in more Rangers News? 

Check me out at SportsHaze.com/new-york-city for all of your news and alerts