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

[T REX]

A lot of people are taking issue with how the voting proceeded for one of the NHL’s top individual honors.

On Wednesday, it was announced that Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper won the 2025-26 Jack Adams Award as coach of the year. While there’s no question that Cooper is an excellent candidate for the award, it seemed as if Lindy Ruff of the Buffalo Sabres or Dan Muse of the Pittsburgh Penguins were even more deserving this season.

The Jack Adams is voted on by the NHL Broadcasters Association. According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman, only 59 of the 99 qualified voters actually cast their ballots, leading many to wonder how the results would’ve panned out had everyone actually voted.

WOW. That is a mess. 40 voters missing out? WTH?

 

[JianYang]

How did Cooper win this? I thought he was clearly the weakest candidate of the finalists.

It just feels like voters trying to right a wrong that somehow, a coach with 2 cups, and a contending team for a decade has never won a jack adams.

Its not the way they should be looking at it, but thats my explanation of how we got to this result.

People would be surprised to hear that scotty Bowman, widely considered the goat, only won 2 jack adams in his career... and those two teams happened to be two of the greatest regular season teams of all time (76 habs and 96 wings)..... otherwise he also may have never won!

 

[T REX]

It just feels like voters trying to right a wrong that somehow, a coach with 2 cups, and a contending team for a decade has never won a jack adams.

Its not the way they should be looking at it, but thats my explanation of how we got to this result.

40 votes are missing!

 

[stokes84]

This is honestly a scandal and a breach of trust.

Fortunately it’s just hockey, but when politics rear its head for everyone to see like this, it’s really just embarrassing.

 

[CupsOverCash]

I think there's honestly been a problem with how they've done a lot of these awards for a while. If you get the awards right the first time you don't feel like you have to make up for them later.

 

[Jo Hammet]

Two things can be correct:
Jon Cooper has been one of the best coaches of the past ten years or so and should've won a Jack Adam's at some point.

He should not have won it this year over Lindy Ruff.

 

[DFC]

It just feels like voters trying to right a wrong that somehow, a coach with 2 cups, and a contending team for a decade has never won a jack adams.

Its not the way they should be looking at it, but thats my explanation of how we got to this result.

People would be surprised to hear that scotty Bowman, widely considered the goat, only won 2 jack adams in his career... and those two teams happened to be two of the greatest regular season teams of all time (76 habs and 96 wings)..... otherwise he also may have never won!

I think it has more to do with TB's injuries this year. Their 1C and 1D heading into the year had almost no impact on the season and yet the team coasted to a playoff spot by getting contributions from throughout the line up. If you looked at our end-of-season D core at the first of the year, you'd have sworn we are now a lottery team.

 

[T REX]

Two things can be correct:
Jon Cooper has been one of the best coaches of the past ten years or so and should've won a Jack Adam's at some point.

He should not have won it this year over Lindy Ruff.

Those voters should be banned from ever voting again. I've never even heard of anything like that before...40% of the voters NOT voting? Imagine the Heisman or literally any award missing 40%...it is crazy and put my tin foil hat on...something is amiss at the Circle K

 

[Ace]

Vezina winner
Selke runner-up
Hart finalist
11th place Norris Defenseman

Blew an 8 point division lead to a team they were 35 seconds away from getting swept by.

The most bullshit participation trophy given outside of tee-ball.

 

[Ace]

Two things can be correct:
Jon Cooper has been one of the best coaches of the past ten years or so and should've won a Jack Adam's at some point.

He should not have won it this year over Lindy Ruff.

The problem is that some of the voters who bothered to vote made the first point their reasoning to vote for him this year. It’s embarrassing. The “coach of the year” had a team with an MVP candidate and the Vezina winner and they blew the division and failed to meet expectations…and the ONLY argument in his favor is people feel bad he hadn’t gotten one yet.

f*** that.

Pity vote. Pathetic winner.

A real man would have been ashamed of this. But, of course, Cooper whined to his media buddies blaming everyone else all year anyway so there’s pride there. Just a whiny little bitch

 

[T REX]

The problem is that some of the voters who bothered to vote made the first point their reasoning to vote for him this year. It’s embarrassing. The “coach of the year” had a team with an MVP candidate and the Vezina winner and they blew the division and failed to meet expectations…and the ONLY argument in his favor is people feel bad he hadn’t gotten one yet.

f*** that.

Pity vote. Pathetic winner.

A real man would have been ashamed of this. But, of course, Cooper whined to his media buddies blaming everyone else all year anyway so there’s pride there. Just a whiny little bitch

That's way over the top...if you can prove that Cooper lobbied for this award then I'll gladly agree with you...but your post seems way over the top. I don't even have to look but...I bet...smdh

 

[Snippit]

View attachment 1249399
Sliding on lands

Horrible decision.

Btw should I go through your dreadfully wrong post history this year?

 

[Took a pill in Sbisa]

This should be the one award that gets voted on after playoffs.

A coach won't even get nominated on a non-playoff team anyways, so why not include the playoffs where the coaches have to do the bulk of their strategizing?

 

[ccman68]

If I showed you this at the beginning of the year how many of you would have predicted Tampa being anywhere near the playoffs? Even the defending champs missed the playoffs this year, this shit’s not easy when you have injuries. People are so used to Tampa being at the top that they don’t even understand how amazing Cooper was this year. Ruff or Muse winning would have been fair as well, but this was hardly a robbery.

 

[sabremike]

If I showed you this at the beginning of the year how many of you would have predicted Tampa being anywhere near the playoffs? Even the defending champs missed the playoffs this year, this shit’s not easy when you have injuries. People are so used to Tampa being at the top that they don’t even understand how amazing Cooper was this year. Ruff or Muse winning would have been fair as well, but this was hardly a robbery.

View attachment 1251413

You are leaving out the Vezina winning future Hall Of Fame goaltender.

 

[JoVel]

You are leaving out the Vezina winning future Hall Of Fame goaltender.

I think Vezina winning future Hall of Fame goaltenders don't typically belong on a list of defensemen.

 

[sabremike]

I think Vezina winning future Hall of Fame goaltenders don't typically belong on a list of defensemen.

I think you are deliberately ignoring the point I was making.