DisgruntledGoat*
Registered User
- Dec 26, 2010
- 4,301
- 27
This trophy has a few, 'where are they now' candidates in its history.
I think most would agree that the way to win the Adams is to take over a struggling team and have them overachieve. And, obviously, sometimes the coach gets more credit for that than he deserves. But how come some of these guys never got a second-chance to prove themselves?
Here's a few guys that vanished from the coaching ranks after winning the Jack Adams. Can anyone shed some light on what happened to them and why they were never 'invited' back?
1989-1990- Bob Murdoch, Winnipeg Jets (240 career games coached. Only 80 after winning)
2000-2001- Bill Barber, Philadelphia Flyers (136 career games coached. Only 82 after winning)
2001-2002- Bob Francis, Phoenix Coyotes (390 career games coached. 144 after winning)
For me, Francis is the strangest one. The Coyotes weren't a talented team, but he had them playing a pretty solid brand of hockey for a few years and most would say they overachieved during his tenure. After he got fired, its seems he totally vanished from the hockey world.
What exactly is the difference between a guy like Francis who is never heard from again, and coach like, say, Ron Wilson whose results have not been that much better but who continues to get job after job?
I think most would agree that the way to win the Adams is to take over a struggling team and have them overachieve. And, obviously, sometimes the coach gets more credit for that than he deserves. But how come some of these guys never got a second-chance to prove themselves?
Here's a few guys that vanished from the coaching ranks after winning the Jack Adams. Can anyone shed some light on what happened to them and why they were never 'invited' back?
1989-1990- Bob Murdoch, Winnipeg Jets (240 career games coached. Only 80 after winning)
2000-2001- Bill Barber, Philadelphia Flyers (136 career games coached. Only 82 after winning)
2001-2002- Bob Francis, Phoenix Coyotes (390 career games coached. 144 after winning)
For me, Francis is the strangest one. The Coyotes weren't a talented team, but he had them playing a pretty solid brand of hockey for a few years and most would say they overachieved during his tenure. After he got fired, its seems he totally vanished from the hockey world.
What exactly is the difference between a guy like Francis who is never heard from again, and coach like, say, Ron Wilson whose results have not been that much better but who continues to get job after job?
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