The American Hockey League in 1981-82
consisted of just eleven teams, five in the Northern Division and six
in the Southern Division. Three head coaches from that AHL season
went on to be Coach of the Year in the National Hockey League and
were honoured with the Jack Adams Award.
Jacques Demers – Fredericton Express
In his first two years as head coach in
Fredericton, his only two in the AHL, Demers had a less than stellar
season. The Express finished last overall and fifth in the Northern
Division with a dismal record of 20 wins, 55 losses and five ties for
45 points over the 80 game schedule.
Just five years later, Jacques made
history as head coach of the Detroit Red Wings. He won the Jack Adams
Award in consecutive seasons, 1986-87 and 1987-88. He is one of just
five to win the award more than once and the only man in history to
win the Jack Adams in consecutive seasons.
In both years, the Red Wings reached
the third round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. In 1985-86, the year
before Demers arrives, Detroit was pathetic. The Red Wings finished
last overall in the NHL that season with just 17 wins and six ties
for 40 points while losing 57 of 80 games.
In 1986-87, the Red Wings placed second
in the Norris Division and reached the Stanley Cup semi-finals before
bowing to the mighty Edmonton Oilers in five games. The following
year, Detroit improved to first in the Norris but once again fell to
the Oilers in the semi-finals.
Mike Keenan – Rochester Americans
In Iron Mike’s second of three years
coaching the Americans, Rochester finished second in the Southern
Division and fourth overall in the AHL. The team fell to the
Binghamton Whalers in the Calder Cup semi-finals, losing four games
to one.
Just three years later, in 1984-85,
Keenan was coaching in his first NHL season. He led the Philadelphia
Flyers to a first place finish in the Patrick Division and a first
place overall finish in the NHL. The team won 53 games and totalled
113 points. It was plenty enough to earn him the Jack Adams Award. It
was his first of four years with the club.
The Flyers swept the Rangers in three
games in the first round of the playoffs. They then beat the New York
Islanders in five and the Quebec Nordiques in six to earn a berth in
the Stanley Cup finals. Like Demers, it was the Edmonton Oilers that
got in the way of Keenan and the Flyers. Wayne Gretzky and the Oilers
beat Philadelphia in the finals, four games to one, to capture the
Stanley Cup.
Orval Tessier – New Brunswick Hawks
Tessier made his only year in the AHL
count. The Hawks finished first overall during the regular season.
New Brunswick then plowed through the competition to capture the
Calder Cup championship. In the final series, Orval’s boys took out
the Binghamton Whalers in five games.
The following season, Orval
Tessier was behind the bench of the NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks.
The 1982-83 Blackhawks finished first in the Norris Division with 47
wins and 104 points, good for fourth overall in the NHL.
In the first round of the playoffs,
Chicago beat the St. Louis Blues three games to one. In the following
round, it was another quick series as the Blackhawks downed the
Minnesota North Stars in five. Like Keenan and Demers, the road block
for Tessier was the Edmonton Oilers. The teams met in the semi-finals
with the Oilers sweeping the series.
