Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar climbs past Jack Adams on NHL wins list.
Bednar's path still feels unusual. He arrived with no prior NHL head coaching experience, replacing Patrick Roy after a disastrous season. Nine years later, he owns a Stanley Cup, multiple division titles, and one of the longest uninterrupted tenures behind an NHL bench.
The win that pushed him past Adams came in a
familiar Avalanche script. Colorado played fast through the neutral zone, protected the middle of the ice, and trusted structure over chaos when momentum swung.
This is the kind of moment fans sometimes overlook in real time. Bednar rarely draws attention to himself, but many around the league quietly acknowledge how hard sustained winning is in a salary cap era built for turnover.
Adams, for context, coached in a different era, one without modern travel, video, or parity safeguards. Passing his win total does not diminish that legacy, but it does underline how Bednar's resume has matured into something historically significant.
At 54 years old, Bednar still feels closer to the middle of his career than the end. The Avalanche continue to contend in the Central Division, and his systems remain adaptable as the roster evolves around stars like Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar.
For Colorado fans, the takeaway is simple. The bench is steady, the voice is trusted, and nights like Tuesday quietly confirm how rare that combination really is.