Lightning HC Clear Choice for Jack Adams Award

Being a successful head coach in the NHL is an arduous task. Furthermore, the coaching industry in hockey is one that dispatches coaches left and right, often with little regard for patience. Finding somebody who is able to win at a high level while also sticking around in one spot for an extended period of time is almost impossible, which is why Tampa Bay Lightning head man Jon Cooper is, well, lightning in a bottle.

Despite a litany of injuries to star players such as Victor Hedman, Andrei Vasilevskiy, Brayden Point and several others, the Lightning have continued to chug along. At 29-13-3 (61 points), the team is at the top of both the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference. It does not matter what comes Cooper’s and the Lightning’s way — all they are going to do is win.

His work so far this season has raised eyebrows around the hockey world. For a long time, Cooper’s presence in Tampa Bay had been taken for granted. Now, with the team desperately searching for healthy players to fill spots, his leadership behind the bench is needed more than ever. That is why he should win the Jack Adams Award, the honor given to the NHL’s top coach.

How could he not be deserving? Everything is against the Lightning, yet they remain in first place. He is a wizard, and he deserves to be recognized for his accomplishments.

A Resume to Die For

Jun 24, 2022; Denver, Colorado, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper watches game action against the Colorado Avalanche during the first period in game five of the 2022 Stanley Cup Final at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Cooper’s pedigree is well established at this point. Since being named the head coach of the Lightning in 2012, he has brought the franchise two Stanley Cup championships, first in 2020 and then again the following year in 2021. He has accumulated an impressive 601-319-86 record over that 14-year span.

That success has carried over to the international stage as well. He was Hockey Canada’s choice to lead Canada at the 2017 IIHF World Championship, where his team won a silver medal. He would have coached Team Canada at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, but the NHL pulled out of the event because of COVID-19.

He finally got his shot with the big boys at last year’s NHL 4 Nations Face-Off, where Team Canada finished in first place after a thrilling victory against the United States. Cooper will also coach Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan.

It is an impressive résumé, one that pretty much every hockey fan recognizes as among the best to ever do it. But while Cooper has led championship teams and compiled elite records, he still has not won the Jack Adams Award in his career. In fact, he has been a finalist only twice.

How that is even possible is a question for another time. All that matters now is that justice be served. The work he is doing with the 2025-26 Lightning might be his most remarkable yet. If Tampa Bay keeps up this pace, Cooper should be the clear choice for the award. So, if there are any voters out there on the fence about who they are going to vote for at the end of the season, do not overthink it. The choice is simple. It is Jon Cooper.

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