John James "Jack" Adams (also known as Jovial Jawn) (June 14, 1895 - May 1, 1968) was a ice hockey player, head coach and general manager in the National Hockey League.

Born in Fort William, Ontario, he began his career for the Fort William Maple Leafs in 1914 of the NMHL , and played for the Calumet Miners a year later. In 1916 he then joined the Peterborough 247th of the OIHA and the Sarnia Sailors a year later of the OHA Sr. League. Adams turned pro in 1917 upon joining the Toronto Arenas of the NHL, earning the reputation as a physical, bruising player. In 1919 he then joined the Vancouver Millionaires where he fluourished as a player, in the PCHA . In 1922 he then joined the Toronto St. Pats and played four seasons before ending his playing career with the Ottawa Senators in 1928. His NHL tally included 82 goals, 29 assists in 173 games played with 2 Stanley Cup Championships.

His coaching career however, is what yielded him the greatest success, and the reason for which ehy the coach of the year award in the NHL bears his name. Upon retiring from the Ottawa Senators, he took realm as coach of the Detroit franchise, then known as the Detroit Cougars. After two season the team became known as the Detroit Falcons, and later, in 1932, the now known Detroit Red Wings, with each year seeing improvement. He won in all 3 Stanley Cup Championships before retiring as a coach in 1947 to concentrate on being Detroit's General Manager. By this point, Adams had built an impecable farm system which bred players namely Alex Delvecchio, Terry Sawchuk, Ted Lindsay, Red Kelly, Sid Abel, and most notably Gordie Howe, of which he most enjoyed watching play. It was this core group of players which led the Detroit Red Wings to 7 straight regular season top place finishes from 1948-1955, along with 4 Stanley Cup Championships. His style had always been that based on tough physical play which often wore down their opponents.

During his career, Adams tallied 413 wins, 390 losses and 161 ties with 3 stanley cups as head caoch, of which he had a 52-52-1 record in playoff games.

The Jack Adams Award was created in 1974, and is given to the most outstanding coach in the NHL. Jack Adams was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1959.

External link

• Hockey Hall of Fame - Jack Adams