Rod Brind’Amour named Jack Adams Finalist

Jamie Kellner In his three years as the Hurricanes’ head coach, Rod Brind’Amour has been instrumental in transforming the team from a perennial afterthought to true contender. This season, he’ll have a chance to take home some hardware to honor his efforts.

The NHL announced the Friday that Brind’Amour, Joel Quenneville of the Florida Panthers and Dean Evason of the Minnesota Wild are the three finalists for the Jack Adams Award, given annually to the NHL’s coach of the year.

This season, Brind’Amour led the Hurricanes to their first division title since 2005-06, and clearly has captured the respect of his players in his time as the team’s head coach.

“First of all, a great coach,” said Canes…