The NHL’s Coach of the Year was awarded – the championship coach finally got his due
Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper has been named the NHL’s Coach of the Year for the 2025–26 season. The Jack Adams Award is the first of his career for the 58-year-old Canadian.
Cooper has been among the most respected coaches in the NHL for over a decade, but it is only now that he has managed to capture a personal accolade.
The experienced head coach led the Lightning to the playoffs for the ninth consecutive year this season. Cooper has been at the helm of Tampa Bay since 2013 and has built the team into one of the NHL’s perennial contenders.
During his tenure, the Lightning has won two Stanley Cup championships and regularly competed for top spots in the league.
In addition to his club success, Cooper has also excelled as the head coach of the Canadian national team. He led the Maple Leafs to victory in the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament last year and to a silver medal at the Milan Olympics this year.
Other Jack Adams finalists included Buffalo Sabres’ Lindy Ruff and Dan Muse, who served as head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins for his first season in the NHL.
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