NEW YORK (May 1, 2026) – Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Dan Muse of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Lindy Ruff of the Buffalo Sabres are the three finalists for the 2025‑26 Jack Adams Award, presented to the head coach “adjudged to have contributed the most to his team’s success,” the National Hockey League announced today.
Members of the NHL Broadcasters’ Association submitted ballots for the Jack Adams Award at the conclusion of the regular season, with the top three vote-getters designated as finalists.
Jon Cooper, Tampa Bay Lightning
Cooper, the longest-tenured active head coach in the NHL, led Tampa Bay (50-26-6, 106 points) to its ninth consecutive playoff berth (tied for the longest current run in the League) and 12th in his 13 full seasons at the helm of the franchise. The Lightning recorded their fifth 50-win campaign under Cooper’s guidance (and first since 2021-22) as well as their seventh 100-point season. They placed among the 2025-26 leaders (including shootout-deciding goals) in goal differential (2nd; +59), goals against (3rd; 231) and goals for (4th; 290). Tampa Bay also ranked among the NHL’s best in 5-on-5 goals for/against ratio (2nd; 1.29), road wins (t-2nd; 24), regulation wins (3rd; 40), comeback wins (3rd; 24), third-period goal differential (3rd; +21), penalty kill efficiency (3rd; 82.6%), home wins (t-3rd; 26) and points by defensemen (5th; 204) as Cooper – on Jan. 12 at PHI – became the second-fastest head coach in League history to reach 600 career wins (1,005 GC), behind only Scotty Bowman (1,002 GC). The 58-year-old Cooper, a three-time finalist after finishing second in voting in 2018-19 and third in 2013-14, is seeking to join John Tortorella (2003-04) as the second head coach in Lightning history to capture the Jack Adams Award.
