Paul MacLean Name Finalist For Jack Adams

Ottawa Senators coach Paul MacLean has been named a finalist for the Jack Adams award as Coach of the Year for the second straight season.

May 3, 2013; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Ottawa Senators head coach Paul MacLean behind the bench during the first period of game two of the first round of the 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs at the Bell Centre. Mandatory Credit: Eric Bolte-USA TODAY Sports

After losing out on the award to Ken Hitchcock of the Blues last year, MacLean will be up against the coaches from the top two seeds in the Western Conference:  Bruce Boudreau of the Ducks and Joel Quenneville of the Blackhawks.

MacLean earned continued respect this season for guiding an injury-riddled Senators team that was missing 4 of its top 5 players for extended periods of time to a playoff spot for the second straight year.

Proving that he was no fluke in his first year as the Senators coach, MacLean kept the Senators focused on the task at hand despite missing Jason Spezza for all but 5 games, Erik Karlsson for 10 weeks, as well as Craig Anderson and Milan Michalek for multiple weeks due to injury.

Left off the final ballot was Montreal coach Michel Therrien, which will be sure to rub Habs fans the wrong way after improving from worst to 2nd in the East.  Also left off the list was Randy Carlyle, who guided the Leafs to a 5th place finish in the East.

Quenneville led the Hawks to a record setting undefeated streak to start the season, and Boudreau continued where he left off after being a late-season hire in Anaheim, helping the Ducks win the Pacific Division.