Many things are shocking in the world, both in sports and out of sports. When it comes to Colorado Avalanche coach Jared Bednar, he expects the best from all of his players and will tell you if he doesn’t like how his team played every night.
Bednar was shockingly omitted from the Jack Adams award nominations, which were announced on Friday. The coaches who have a shot at winning the award are Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Dan Muse of the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Lindy Ruff of the Buffalo Sabres.
Don’t get me wrong, these three finalists are deserving, but something doesn’t quite add up. The Lightning had a four-point increase from last season, winning two more games than 2024-25. Sure, you can point to how there are high expectations for Bednar’s team, but honestly, the same goes for Cooper’s Lightning.
As co-site expert Nestor Quixtan mentioned to me, Ruff will probably win the award because he hasn’t won anything, so he’s due. That’s just what some of this voting nonsense has become. I think that there is something wrong with that picture. Bednar led his team to the best record in the league this year, but is being “penalized” for having strong talent around him. They’re players who are easy to coach.
Perhaps one of the reasons he wasn’t nominated was because of his injury that kept him from coaching two games this season. Why does that matter? Because the Avalanche, under assistant Nolan Pratt, won those two games without their normal head coach. That’s strictly conspiracy, but perhaps it’s valid.
I guarantee that if he is asked about the snub, which he likely will be, Bednar will simply reiterate that there is only one trophy he is looking forward to: The Stanley Cup. That’s the right mindset. In the end, a snub is a snub, and there is nothing more anyone can do this time around. Expectations are always high for a team like the Avalanche because of the standard they have set.
Does that mean Bednar will never win the Jack Adams? Possibly.
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