Well, I was told over and over that the Lightning did not want the Presidents trophy because it is cursed… Now I am being told John Tortorella is done for in Tampa Bay (eventually :-p ) because the Jack Adams award is also cursed….
Here’s the past 15 winners (before Tortorella). Only Jacques Lemaire is still employed with the team he won with.
2003 Jacques Lemaire – Minnesota Wild
2002 Bob Francis – Phoenix Coyotes
2001 Bill Barber – Philadelphia Flyers
2000 Joel Quenneville – St. Louis Blues
1999 Jacques Martin – Ottawa Senators
1998 Pat Burns – Boston Bruins
1997 Ted Nolan – Buffalo Sabres
1996 Scotty Bowman – Detroit Red Wings
1995 Marc Crawford – Quebec Nordiques
1994 Jacques Lemaire – New Jersey Devils
1993 Pat Burns – Toronto Maple Leafs
1992 Pat Quinn – Vancouver Canucks
1991 Brian Sutter – St. Louis Blues
1990 Bob Murdoch – Winnipeg Jets
1989 Pat Burns – Montreal Canadiens
But of course, that fact I gave you was misleading and don’t really support the curse idea. I say that because Jacques Martin was fired just this year (5 years after he won), as
was Joel Quenneville (4 years after he won). Scotty Bowman retired.
Bob Francis is an interesting story which I don’t know full well because he’s in the west. Was he hired under Gretzky’s ownership tenure? The team direction has changed the last few years, I know that much….
Barber was a scapegoat for the Flyers first round playoff loss in 2002.
Also – Pat Burns was fired from Boston in 2000… 3 years after he started with the Bruins (1997-98 – which was also when he won the Jack Adams).
Nolan is an exception out of the lot… Not only is he gone form the Sabres but he has not coached in the NHL since, which is attributed to his attitude.
So basically the Adams means you will be fired — eventually… Which is the truth for most coaches in the league and any league for that matter. Some years there is a higher coach turn over than others…
