Former ECHL Coach Boudreau Is NHL Coach Award Finalist

May 1, 2008 - ECHL (ECHL) News Release

NEW YORK - The National Hockey League announced that former Mississippi Sea Wolves and current Washington Capitals head coach Bruce Boudreau is one of the three finalists for the Jack Adams Award, presented to the head coach who has "contributed the most to his team's success."

Boudreau led Mississippi to the 1999 Kelly Cup Championship and in three seasons with the Sea Wolves was 109-75-26. He coached Hershey of the American Hockey League for three seasons before joining the Capitals and led the team to the Eastern Conference championship and the Calder Cup finals in each of his first two years and won the Calder Cup in 2006. Boudreau is one of 15 coaches with an ECHL background working behind an NHL bench. He is the second head coach joining former Wheeling coach Peter Laviolette who is head coach of the Carolina Hurricanes.

The other two finalists are Mike Babcock of the Detroit Red Wings and Guy Carbonneau of the Montreal Canadiens. Members of the NHL Broadcasters' Association submitted ballots at the conclusion of the regular season, with the top three vote getters announced as finalists.

The winner will be announced on June 12 during the 2008 NHL Awards Television Special which will be broadcast live throughout Canada on CBC and the United States on VERSUS from the Historic Elgin Theatre in Toronto.

In his first NHL coaching job Boudreau led the Capitals to one of the most dramatic turnarounds in NHL history. Named head coach on Nov. 22 with the 6-14-1 Capitals at the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings, Boudreau led his club to a 37-17-7 mark the rest of the way, including seven consecutive victories to close the season, and captured the Southeast Division title in the final game of the season. He reached 20 victories (34 games) and 30 victories (53 games) faster than any coach in Capitals history.

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