Pucks of a Feather Midseason Awards Ballot: Jack Adams Award

Dec 31, 2014; Calgary, Alberta, CAN; Calgary Flames head coach Bob Hartley on his bench against the Edmonton Oilers during the third period at Scotiabank Saddledome. Calgary Flames won in overtime 4-3. Mandatory Credit: Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

Number 3: Bob Hartley

The Calgary Flames were supposed to be contending for one of the top-two picks in the 2015 NHL Draft. The rebuild was supposed to continue, with the team continuing to build around guys like Sean Monahan. And yet, the Flames are in the second wild-card berth at the All-Star weekend, keeping the defending champion Los Angeles Kings out of a top-eight spot in the loaded Western Conference.

The Flames are well-noted across the league as the team that never goes away. They never quit playing and never believe they’re out of a game. Bob Hartley has done an outstanding job in instilling that mentality and fight. Calgary has 56 third period goals this season, best in the Western Conference and third in the NHL. They’re 12th in the NHL and eighth in the Western Conference with a 25-19-3 record. This is a team expected to finish in the bottom-five of the season in the league.

So why only third? First off, they aren’t a division winner or firmly entrenched in the playoff spot: in fact, Maurice’s Jets are better off. While the Flames are currently in a playoff spot, they actually only hold it by one point. If they were firmly in the top-three in the Pacific Division, I’d be a bit more impressed (though the Pacific Division has arguably been the weakest of the four groups this season). Despite the goal-scoring and great story, they aren’t a lock to make the postseason: in fact, they seem really shaky, and there are plenty of doubters.

Calgary has defied expectations, but they haven’t shattered expectations like the teams who employ the head coaches ahead.

Next: Number 2: Hot Seat to Hot Team