Life after Jack (Adams)

One of the great pleasures of digital cable is the on-demand channels that are provided as a free service. One of these is a small section devoted to the Capitals in the "Sports and Fitness" section.

Recently, I watched a small five-minute feature where Bruce Boudreau and Comcast's Lisa Hillary toured the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto. They walked around, visited the Capitals section of the hall and looked at the various trophies.

When the duo approached the Jack Adams trophy that Boudreau had won in the previous season, Boudreau joked that many of those names aren't around anymore.

Let's see if there is any reason for Boudreau to be fearful by looking at past Jack Adams winners.

1998-1999: Jacques Martin - Ottawa Senators
Season after: 41-28-11, lost in first round of playoffs.
Dismissed by Senators in 2004, and relieved of coaching duties in Florida in 2008. Current GM of Florida Panthers.

1999-2000: Joel Quenneville - St. Louis Blues
Season after: 43-22-12-5, lost in first round of playoffs.
Fired by Blues in 2004 season, coached Colorado from 2005-2008 and went to the playoffs in each season. Was fired by Avalanche after exiting the 2007-2008 playoffs in the second round. Current head coach of the Chicago Blackhawks.

2000-2001: Bill Barber - Philadelphia Flyers
Season after: 42-27-13, lost in first round of playoffs.
Fired by Flyers in 2002, currently working as a scouting consultant.

2001-2002: Bob Francis - Phoenix Coyotes
Season after: 31-35-16, missed playoffs.
Fired in 2004, in 2006 coached Finnish team HIFK in SM-liiga, fired in 2008.

2002-2003: Jacques Lemaire - Minnesota Wild
Season after: 30-29-30, missed playoffs.
Current coach of Minnesota Wild

2003-2004: John Tortorella - Tampa Bay Lightning
Season after: 43-33-8-6, lost in first round of playoffs
Fired by Tampa Bay Lightning in 2008, current coach of U.S. Men's Hockey National Team.

2005-2006: Lindy Ruff - Buffalo Sabres
Season after: 53-22-7, conference finalist, lost in finals.
Current coach of Buffalo Sabres

2006-2007: Alain Vigeault - Vancouver Canucks
Season after: 39-33-10, missed playoffs
Current coach of Vancouver Canucks

Only three of the eight listed are still with their current teams. Four of the coaches exited the playoffs in the first round in the season after winning the Jack Adams, while three didn't even qualify.

Here's hoping Bruce can have the words "Stanley Cup Champion" following his name in the season-after category.