The Tampa Bay Lightning’s Jon Cooper on Wednesday won the Jack Adams Award as the NHL’s coach of the year, beating out the Buffalo Sabres’ Lindy Ruff and the Pittsburgh Penguins’ Dan Muse.
Cooper, the NHL’s longest-tenured coach, had never won the award. He has led the Lightning to two Stanley Cup championships and two other appearances in the final.
With some of his top players absent throughout this season, Cooper, 58, led the Lightning to 106 points and a second-place finish in the Atlantic Division behind the Sabres.
Update: Cooper won a 226-223 vote over Ruff, eking out a win.
Ruff, 66, led the Sabres to their first appearance in the Stanley Cup Playoffs since 2011, ending an NHL-record 14-year drought. They defeated the Boston Bruins in the first round, earning their first series victory since 2007.
The Sabres roared into the postseason, winning 50 games and earning 109 points. They won their division title since 2009-10.
Ruff signed a two-year contract extension following the season.
He won the Jack Adams in 2005-06. He was also a finalist in 2006-07, 2015-16 and 2022-23.
The winner was decided through a vote by the NHL Broadcasters’ Association.
Very disappointing. Cooper received the pity vote for never having won it. It should be based on the season, not an overall statistic.