Guy Boucher: Why First-Year Tampa Bay Lightning Coach is True Jack Adams Winner

In March, I wrote an article predicting who the finalists and winner would be for the 2011 Jack Adams Award, given to the most outstanding coach in the NHL. Although the NHL has many solid coaches worthy of this award, I felt the Tampa Bay Lightning’s first-year head coach Guy Boucher was most deserving of the trophy.

Needless to say, when word of the final nominees came out, I was stunned to not see Boucher in the final three.

I’m not trying to take anything away from Dan Bylsma, Alain Vigneault and Barry Trotz. I respect the work of all three coaches, and I understand why they are up for the award.

But to not even give Boucher a finalist nod is a little unjustified in my opinion. Regardless of what the press release says, I feel Boucher is the true winner of the Jack Adams Award, and here are some reasons why I feel that way.

Regular Season Turnaround

Before Boucher was hired by new general manager Steve Yzerman, the Lightning were hardly talked about in the Eastern Conference.

Prior to this year, they had not been to the Stanley Cup playoffs since 2007, where they were eliminated in the first round by the New Jersey Devils. Their record last year was 34-36-12 for 80 points and 12th place in the East.

This year, Boucher guided the team to a record of 46-25-11 for 103 points and fifth in the Eastern Conference.

Since the Jack Adams can be partially based on coaches who have turned struggling teams into playoff contenders, I felt there was no excuse for Boucher to not even get a spot in the top three.

Playoff Shockers

Tampa may have overcome the first hurdle by making the playoffs, but they still weren’t being taken very seriously.

Some thought that even though the Pittsburgh Penguins were without Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, Tampa’s weak regular season defense and much older goaltending would fall prey to the Penguins’ strong defensive corps and a younger and confident Marc-Andre Fleury.

Instead, the Bolts came back from a 3-1 series deficit, including a double-overtime loss in Game 4, to take the series. Their comeback included an 8-2 blowout victory in Game 5 that saw three players (Simon Gagne, Steven Stamkos and Pavel Kubina) score two goals apiece and a 1-0 shutout in Game 7 with Sean Bergenheim scoring the lone goal.

The Lightning then swept the Capitals in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Capitals, the top seed in the East and the Southeast Division champions, were heavily favored to move onto the Finals, but Tampa squashed that pretty quick.

It was by far one of the Capitals’ most embarrassing playoff losses in history.

Tampa is currently in the Eastern Conference Finals with the Boston Bruins. Although the Bruins jumped out to a 2-0 series lead, Tampa has had an answer for everything the Bruins throw at them. They won Game 6 by a 5-4 margin on Wednesday and can advance to  the Stanley Cup Finals with a Game 7 victory on Friday.

Boucher's job is to prepare the team for a challenging playoff run, and he has mastered that part of his job description. The Lightning have seldom had a game these playoffs that they have not shown up for.

The Bolts Don’t Give Up

 As the current series would tell you, Tampa has not given up when faced with adversity.

There are probably some teams who would fold when going down in a series, but the Lightning have been no such team.

They have been down 2-1 and 3-2 in this series and have responded every time. When they were shut out by a 2-0 score in Game 3, they won Game 4 5-3. When they faced elimination in Wednesday's Game 6, they withstood a David Krejci hat trick for a 5-4 win.

The Lightning may not win the Cup, or even advance to the Finals, but they have the attitudes of champions. They are relishing their underdog role, and part of this should be attributed to Boucher.

The Stars are Shining

The Bolts’ stars are helping this magical run last as long as possible.

Martin St. Louis, who is 35 years old, is still playing like he is 25 years old. He is first in the NHL with 10 playoff goals and second with 20 points. He is also second with four power play goals.

Team captain Vincent Lecavalier has 19 points, good for third in the league. His three game-winning goals are second in the NHL.

Steven Stamkos struggled early in the playoffs, but is coming around in the later rounds. He now has 13 points in 17 playoff games, including seven points in the Boston series so far. He has had two three point games this round and also had three points in Game 5 of the quarterfinals.

Dwayne Roloson, the 41-year-old netminder acquired in a midseason trade with New York Islanders, has stepped it up for the postseason. He is 10-5-0 with one shutout and is third among playoff goalies in wins. His .920 save percentage is ranked seventh, and he also has a 2.60 GAA.

Getting Extra Help

Although the Lightning’s top players have been great during these playoffs, it is almost expected that they would step up. It is without the secondary help that would cause most teams to be lost; after all, no team’s stars can do everything all by themselves.

Tampa is no exception to the rule.

Teddy Purcell, for example, has 17 points through 17 playoff games and has had two goals in Games 4 and 6 of the conference finals. He also had three two-point games and one three-point game.

Bergenheim is third in the NHL with nine playoff goals. He had two goals in Game 4 as Tampa finished off their sweep of the Washington Capitals.

Any successful coach has to know how to get production from everyone to the star players to the fourth-line grinders, and Boucher has done just that.

He Has a Bright Future

Boucher already had a reputation as a solid coach prior to accepting the job with the Lightning.

In the 2008-09 season, he led the Drummond Voltigeurs of the QMJHL to a 54-win season, the team's best season in history. They also won the President's Cup, which is awarded to the top playoff finisher in the QMJHL.

Last year, he coached the Hamilton Bulldogs, the AHL affiliate of the Montreal Canadiens. The Bulldogs posted a record of 52-11-17, and Boucher won the Louis A.R. Pieri award for AHL Coach of the Year.

He has also worked with Canada's developmental hockey program and led the U-18 team to a gold medal in 2008. In 2009, he was an assistant coach with the U-20 team, who won their fifth consecutive gold medal.

Boucher has had success regardless of what level of hockey he has worked on, and he is now bringing that success into the NHL.

Final Questions

Should Boucher have been nominated for the Jack Adams? If so, who should have been taken off the ballot? If no, why not?

Do you feel that he would win the award if playoff performances were considered? On another note, should playoffs be thought about when nominating the Jack Adams and other NHL award winners?

Does he have a good future as head coach of the Bolts, or do you think this is a fluke?

Answer any or all of these and add additional thoughts in the comments.