2025-26 Jack Adams Award finalists: Jon Cooper, Dan Muse, Lindy Ruff | Winner: Jon Cooper

[enthusiast]

it's not just any coach that can bow out gracefully in the first round after making the playoffs with an MVP level player and Vezina level goalie. Add that to grinding out a scrappy silver medal at the olympics and the choice is clear

 

[SnuggaRUDE]

If anyone is ever curious about how little we know: the commentary on stuff like this is 100% vibes. It's never: "they deserved to win because of this aspect of their scheme they created or adapted".

 

[Beville]

Cooper should have definitely won this…

Just not this year, of all years.

 

[GoSensssGo]

Except its not called the "Best Coach Award". It's supposed to go to the coach who did the best job THIS YEAR. Again, some of you are turning this into a Lifetime Achievement Award. As far as this year goes, Ruff clearly did a better job, with less.

With less have you seen the Sabers def? That team is an absolute wagon, they should have been this good years ago with the talent they have. I don't think you should get the award based on the fact that your team finally lived upto expectations.

 

[rams]

Obviously the broadcasters submitted their votes back in November

 

[May Day 10]

If they are making an even larger error to correct a previous perceived error, maybe these should be decided a different way?

 

[TheDoldrums]

can't believe the voters didn't reward Ruff for beating expectations that were low because of the terrible job he did last year

 

[TageGod]

A team with 0 expectations turned into a wagon and outperformed the Lightning, and won 3/4 head-to-head, still lost the award. Lindy created a 1 of 1 system where all D and F interchange seamlessly, he deserved it more than anyone and finished higher than anyone. There is no objective reason to vote against Ruff.

 

[5 Minute Major]

With less have you seen the Sabers def? That team is an absolute wagon, they should have been this good years ago with the talent they have. I don't think you should get the award based on the fact that your team finally lived upto expectations.

Show us your predictions for the Sabres before the season started. I want to see where you had them winning the division….or even being a wildcard.

 

[Miller Time]

Hard to understand how Cooper won...

Both Ruff and Muse were clearly more deserving among the finalists, and MSL's coaching job this year was emphatically better than Cooper's from the POV of getting the most out of the roster at their respective disposal. Coop won this one on reputation more than anything else (and I do think he is one of, if not the best coach in the league).

 

[2023FriendshipTour]

Of all the years he could've won this is probably the least deserving.

 

[landy]

Show us your predictions for the Sabres before the season started. I want to see where you had them winning the division….or even being a wildcard.

Still doesnt excuse a lottery level team for a quarter of the season. Where was the COTY cries then?

Also they need to announce this before the playoffs or include playoff results in the voting. Too much hindsight now to rip on. if the Lightning were in the Finals, we'd be like sure, makes sense.

Hell Torts deserves it the most right now.

 

[landy]

It'll be Ruff by a landslide

Sliding on lands

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Cooper should have finished 3rd in voting. No way he had a better year than Ruff or Muse.

 

[landy]

As a Tampa fan...Ruff got robbed...this is like Mack's Hart...a lifetime achievement award.

Cringe. That ATL was a war all year...and Ruff won it...with Buffalo? Super cringy.

This is why Ruff lost. You dont get to do nothing for a quarter of the season and win. We were all talking about firing him at this point and punting Pegula to the moon.

 

[May Day 10]

This is why Ruff lost. You dont get to do nothing for a quarter of the season and win. We were all talking about firing him at this point and punting Pegula to the moon.

View attachment 1249402

Still beat out Cooper's team over the entire season including 3 key head to head match ups down the stretch.

And that isnt just a quarter season. Try 57 quarters of a season. Somehow in the first week of December, demons were exorcized from the franchise and it turned around on a dime. All the way to the top of the Division and the #3 record in the NHL. 39-9-5 in the last 53 games. That is a 128 point pace.

The only way Ruff shouldnt get the Adams in this situation is if there was a points-record breaking presidents trophy team somewhere.
The fact that so many of these voters didnt even have Ruff in the top 3 screams impropriety

 

[Mattilaus]

Still doesnt excuse a lottery level team for a quarter of the season. Where was the COTY cries then?

Also they need to announce this before the playoffs or include playoff results in the voting. Too much hindsight now to rip on. if the Lightning were in the Finals, we'd be like sure, makes sense.

Hell Torts deserves it the most right now.

I am absolutely shocked that you of all people think Ruff shouldn' have won. Shocked I say!

 

[EmeraldCitySabre]

This is why Ruff lost. You dont get to do nothing for a quarter of the season and win. We were all talking about firing him at this point and punting Pegula to the moon.

View attachment 1249402

So we're just gonna pretend that the rest of the season didn't happen? Shouldn't the coach get some of the credit for the massive turnaround from worst to first? Also its not like Lindy has been our coach for the last 10 years, he was in his second year with one of the youngest teams in the league and no Hart or Vezina candidates, or a Selke winner.

 

[kingsholygrail]

It's an award voted on by the media.

 

[Dirty Dog]

This is why Ruff lost. You dont get to do nothing for a quarter of the season and win. We were all talking about firing him at this point and punting Pegula to the moon.

View attachment 1249402

This image isn’t even that bad. They are a whopping 8 points behind Tampa at their season low point…. The whole conference was jumbled together then

 

[JoVel]

This makes it seem like a meaningless award. Cooper is an excellent coach but I’d say he wasn’t even top 3 this year. Lifetime achievement waters it down.

It's been a meaningless award for a very long time. People haven't been paying very much attention if they're just now finding this out.

 

[Panthaz89]

Weakest? Uhm no, did you see Tampas defense this year? Good choice nuff said.

Was Krebs playing on their top line all season? The Sabres had no top centers and ended up with 109 points... that's insane. Kulich missed basically the entire season with blood clots and was expected to be our no.1 option.

 

[Ghost of Murph]

Absolute joke Cooper never won the award up until now. Absolute joke this is the season he won it. Should have been Ruff.

 

[Bounces R Way]

Well that's a bit of a bizarre selection. I usually don't get to up in arms about these lifetime achievement type wins, it's ultimately a pretty meaningless personal accolade but it's a bit tougher to justify if you're going to allow gambling on these things. Not that I ache much for the degens betting on a Jack Adams winner but how can you really say objectively that Cooper makes the most sense for the 2025-26 season?

 

[Deep Blue Metallic]

Travesty.