Jack Adams

John James "Jack" Adams (June 14, 1894 – May 1, 1968) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player, coach and general manager in the National Hockey League and Pacific Coast Hockey Association. He was a Hall of Fame player during a 10-year professional career with Toronto, Vancouver and Ottawa.

For other people named Jack Adams, see Jack Adams (disambiguation).

Jack Adams
Hockey Hall of Fame, 1959
Born (1894-06-14)June 14, 1894
Fort William, Ontario, Canada
Died May 1, 1968(1968-05-01) (aged 73)
Detroit, Michigan, United States
Height 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight 175 lb (79 kg; 12 st 7 lb)
Position Centre
Shot Right
Played for Toronto Arenas
Vancouver Millionaires
Toronto St. Patricks
Ottawa Senators
Playing career 1917–1927

He is best known for his 36-year association with the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League as head coach and as a general manager. He held the record of winningest coach in Red Wings history before being surpassed by Mike Babcock in 2014. He later became the first president of the Central Professional Hockey League. Adams is a nine-time Stanley Cup champion, and the only person to have won the Stanley Cup as a player, coach, and general manager.[1]

Playing career

Born in Fort William, Ontario, Adams began his career with the Fort William Maple Leafs in 1914 of the NMHL, and played for the Calumet Miners a year later. In 1916, he joined the intermediate Peterborough 247th Battalion of the Ontario Hockey Association and the next season moved up to the senior Sarnia Sailors. His brother, Bill also was a professional hockey player.

Adams turned pro in 1917 upon joining the Toronto Arenas of the NHL, earning the reputation as a physical, bruising player. Although he participated in the NHL playoffs, he did not play in any games in the 1918 Stanley Cup Finals against the Vancouver Millionaires when the Torontos won the trophy.

In December 1919 he was lured west to join the Millionaires, where he flourished as a player, leading the league in scoring in 1921–22, when he centred a line with Alf Skinner and Smokey Harris. He played in two Stanley Cup series for Vancouver, and was the star of the 1922 series, scoring 6 goals in 5 games.

Coming off that season, he returned east to join the Toronto St. Patricks and played four seasons in Toronto on a line with Babe Dye. Adams was the team's leading scorer in 1925–26.

The next season, he joined the Ottawa Senators, finishing his playing career as it began, with a second Stanley Cup championship. His NHL stats included 83 goals, 32 assists in 173 games played.

Adams was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1959 as a player.

Coaching and managing career

Soon after his retirement, he became coach and general manager of the second-year Detroit Cougars at the suggestion of NHL president Frank Calder.

At first, the team struggled under his leadership, making the playoffs only two times in his first five years at the helm. A name change to the Detroit Falcons in 1930 did not improve the team's performance. Detroit's fortunes changed in 1932, when Chicago grain merchant James E. Norris bought the Falcons and renamed them the Detroit Red Wings. Norris gave the Red Wings the financing they needed to become an NHL power. Adams led the team to three Stanley Cups before stepping down in 1947 to concentrate on his duties as general manager. His coaching career tallied 413 wins, 390 losses and 161 ties, including a 52–52–1 coaching record in the playoffs. Most of those wins came without a contract; when Norris bought the team he'd torn up Adams' contract and given him a year on his job on probation and a handshake. As it turned out, one year became 15 years. Adams is the second-winningest coach in Red Wings history, behind Mike Babcock.

By 1947, Adams had built a farm team system which trained Alex Delvecchio, Terry Sawchuk, Ted Lindsay, Red Kelly, Sid Abel, and most notably Gordie Howe. It was this core group of players which led the Red Wings to seven straight regular season first-place finishes from 1948 to 1955, along with four more Cups—making Adams the only man to have his name on the Stanley Cup as a player, coach and general manager.

Adams was known for being wary of letting his teams get complacent, and was not shy about orchestrating blockbuster trades to keep them on their toes—a philosophy which won him the nickname "Trader Jack." His impulse was slightly restrained after Norris died in 1952 and was succeeded by his daughter, Marguerite Norris. She and Adams never got along very well. While she could have summarily fired Adams since he was still without a contract, she did not do so.

However, Marguerite was forced to turn over control of the team to her younger brother, Bruce Norris, in 1955 after losing an intrafamily struggle. Bruce voiced full confidence in Adams, and the trading resumed anew. During their seven-season run in first place, many thought the Red Wings would rule the league for years to come.

In 1957, Adams traded Ted Lindsay to Chicago because of union-organizing efforts and had other players affiliated with the effort sent to the minors. As part of the union busting efforts, Adams spread fake rumours attributing Lindsay as criticizing his former teammates. Adams also showed a fake contract to Detroit reporters, claiming Lindsay was being paid $25,000 per year, when he was being paid $13,000.[2] These efforts are dramatized in the TV movie Net Worth.

The efforts resulted in most of the core of this team leaving town and eventually led to Adams being fired in 1963. His 36-year tenure as general manager is the longest in NHL history. He served 31 of those years on a handshake; after 1932 he never signed a contract with the Wings.

Adams had also been involved in an incident in 1942, when he had an outburst due to his belief of biased penalty calling, which led to a fit of rage and ultimately a referee getting punched in game three of the 1942 Stanley Cup Final, thus becoming the first coach to be suspended in a Final.

In 1963, Adams became founding president of the Central Hockey League, a post he held until his death at his desk in 1968.

Awards and achievements

Statistics
    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1914–15 Fort William Maple Leafs NHML — — — — — 2 4 0 4 3
1915–16 Calumet Miners NMHL — — — — — — — — — —
1916–17 Peterborough 247th OHA-Int. — — — — — — — — — —
1917–18 Sarnia Sailors OHA-Sr. 6 15 0 15 — — — — — —
1917–18 Toronto Arenas NHL 8 0 0 0 31 2 1 0 1 6
1918–19 Toronto Arenas NHL 17 3 3 6 35 — — — — —
1919–20 Vancouver Millionaires PCHA 22 9 6 15 18 2 0 0 0 0
1920–21 Vancouver Millionaires PCHA 24 17 12 29 60 2 3 0 3 0
1921–22 Vancouver Millionaires PCHA 24 26 4 30 24 2 1 0 1 0
1921–22 Vancouver Millionaires West-P — — — — — 2 0 0 0 12
1921–22 Vancouver Millionaires St-Cup — — — — — 5 6 1 7 18
1922–23 Toronto St. Patricks NHL 23 19 9 28 64 — — — — —
1923–24 Toronto St. Patricks NHL 22 14 4 18 51 — — — — —
1924–25 Toronto St. Patricks NHL 27 21 10 31 67 2 1 0 1 7
1925–26 Toronto St. Patricks NHL 36 21 5 26 52 — — — — —
1926–27 Ottawa Senators NHL 40 5 1 6 66 6 0 0 0 0
NHL totals 173 83 32 115 366 10 2 0 2 13
PCHA totals 70 52 22 74 102 6 4 0 4 0
St-Cup totals — — — — — 5 6 1 7 18

Sources:[3][4]

Coaching statistics

 Stanley Cup champions    Division champions    Led league in points # 

Adams' career head coaching statistics with the Detroit NHL franchise
NHL season Franchise season Division Regular season[5][6][7][8] Postseason
Finish GC W L T Pts Win% GC W L T Win% Result
1927–28 1927–28[a] American[b] 4th 44 19 19 6 44 .500 — — — — — Did not qualify
1928–29 1928–29 American 3rd 44 19 16 9 47 .534 2 0 2 0 .000 Lost Quarterfinals to Toronto Maple Leafs, 2–7 (TG)[9]
1929–30 1929–30 American 4th 44 14 24 6 34 .386 — — — — — Did not qualify
1930–31 1930–31[c] American 4th 44 16 21 7 39 .443 — — — — — Did not qualify
1931–32 1931–32 American 3rd 48 18 20 10 46 .479 2 0 1 1 .250 Lost Quarterfinals to Montreal Maroons, 1–3 (TG)[10]
1932–33 1932–33[d] American 2nd 48 25 15 8 58 .604 4 2 2 0 .500 Won Quarterfinals vs. Montreal Maroons, 5–2 (TG)
Lost Semifinals to New York Rangers, 3–6 (TG)[11]
1933–34 1933–34 American 1st 48 24 14 10 58 .604 9 4 5 0 .444 Won Semifinals vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, 3–2
Lost Stanley Cup Finals to Chicago Black Hawks, 1–3[12]
1934–35 1934–35 American 4th 48 19 22 7 45 .469 — — — — — Did not qualify
1935–36 1935–36 American 1st 48 24 16 8 56# .583 7 6 1 0 .536 Won Semifinals vs. Montreal Maroons, 3–0
Won Stanley Cup Finals vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, 3–1[13]
1936–37 1936–37 American 1st 48 25 14 9 59# .615 10 6 4 0 .600 Won Semifinals vs. Montreal Canadiens, 3–2
Won Stanley Cup Finals vs. New York Rangers, 3–2[14]
1937–38 1937–38 American 4th 48 12 25 11 35 .365 — — — — — Did not qualify
1938–39 1938–39 —[e] 5th 48 18 24 6 42 .438 6 3 3 0 .500 Won Quarterfinals vs. Montreal Canadiens, 2–1
Lost Semifinals to Toronto Maple Leafs, 1–2[15]
1939–40 1939–40 — 5th 48 16 26 6 38 .396 5 2 3 0 .400 Won Quarterfinals vs. New York Americans, 2–1
Lost Semifinals to Toronto Maple Leafs, 0–2[16]
1940–41 1940–41 — 3rd 48 21 16 11 53 .552 9 4 5 0 .444 Won Quarterfinals vs. New York Rangers, 2–1
Won Semifinals vs. Chicago Black Hawks, 2–0
Lost Stanley Cup Finals to Boston Bruins, 0–4[17]
1941–42 1941–42 — 5th 48 19 25 4 42 .438 12 7 5 0 .583 Won Quarterfinals vs. Montreal Canadiens, 2–1
Won Semifinals vs. Boston Bruins, 2–0
Lost Stanley Cup Finals to Toronto Maple Leafs, 3–4[18]
1942–43 1942–43 — 1st 50 25 14 11 61# .610 10 8 2 0 .800 Won Semifinals vs. Toronto Maple Leafs, 4–2
Won Stanley Cup Finals vs. Boston Bruins, 4–0[19]
1943–44 1943–44 — 2nd 50 26 18 6 58 .580 5 1 4 0 .200 Lost Semifinals to Chicago Black Hawks, 1–4[20]
1944–45 1944–45 — 2nd 50 31 14 5 67 .670 14 7 7 0 .500 Won Semifinals vs. Boston Bruins, 4–3
Lost Stanley Cup Finals to Toronto Maple Leafs, 3–4[21]
1945–46 1945–46 — 4th 50 20 20 10 50 .500 5 1 4 0 .200 Lost Semifinals to Boston Bruins, 1–4[22]
1946–47 1946–47 — 4th 60 22 27 11 55 .458 5 1 4 0 .200 Lost Semifinals to Toronto Maple Leafs, 1–4[23]
Totals 964 413 390 161 987 .512 105 52 52 1 .500

Notes
  • a From the 1926–27 season through the 1929–30 season, the Detroit NHL franchise was known as the Cougars.[5][6]
  • b From the 1926–27 season through the 1937–38 season, the Detroit NHL franchise played in the American Division.[6][7][8]
  • c From the 1930–31 season through the 1931–32 season, the Detroit NHL franchise was known as the Falcons.[5][7]
  • d Since the 1932–33 season, the Detroit NHL franchise has been known as the Red Wings.[5][8]
  • e From the 1938–39 season through the 1966–67 season, the NHL had no divisions.[24]
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See also

List of Detroit Red Wings award winners
List of Detroit Red Wings seasons

References
  • Coleman, Charles L. The Trail of the Stanley Cup, Vol. 1, 1893–1926 inc. p. 572.
  1. "Legends of Hockey: Jack Adams". Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
  2. Cruise, David (1991). Net Worth. Viking Books.
  3. "Jack Adams (b. 1894) hockey statistics and profile". Retrieved July 22, 2013.
  4. "Jack Adams NHL statistics". Retrieved September 28, 2013.
  5. National Hockey League (2013). NHL Official Guide & Record Book 2013. Triumph. p. 51. ISBN 978-1-60078-785-0.
  6. "Detroit Cougars Statistics and History". The Internet Hockey Database. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
  7. "Detroit Falcons Statistics and History". The Internet Hockey Database. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
  8. "Detroit Red Wings Statistics and History". The Internet Hockey Database. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
  9. "1929 NHL Playoff Summary". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
  10. "1932 NHL Playoff Summary". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
  11. "1933 NHL Playoff Summary". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
  12. "1934 NHL Playoff Summary". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
  13. "1936 NHL Playoff Summary". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
  14. "1937 NHL Playoff Summary". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
  15. "1939 NHL Playoff Summary". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
  16. "1940 NHL Playoff Summary". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
  17. "1941 NHL Playoff Summary". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
  18. "1942 NHL Playoff Summary". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
  19. "1943 NHL Playoff Summary". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
  20. "1944 NHL Playoff Summary". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
  21. "1945 NHL Playoff Summary". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
  22. "1946 NHL Playoff Summary". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
  23. "1947 NHL Playoff Summary". Hockey-Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 12, 2013.
  24. "Playoff Formats". National Hockey League. Archived from the original on December 17, 2010. Retrieved May 24, 2013.
Preceded by
Duke Keats		 Head coach of the Detroit Red Wings
1927–1947		 Succeeded by
Tommy Ivan
Preceded by
Art Duncan		 General Manager of Detroit Red Wings
1927–62		 Succeeded by
Sid Abel
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