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Jon Cooper, the Tampa Bay Lightning head coach, was awarded the 2026 Jack Adams Award on June 3, the first time the 58-year-old has received the NHL’s coach of the year honour.
The presentation came as a surprise during a ribbon-cutting for his Coop’s Catch for Kids family lounge at a Tampa hospital.
Cooper, the league’s longest-tenured coach, led the Lightning to a 50-26-6 record (106 points) and a ninth straight playoff berth despite heavy injuries that forced Tampa Bay to use 33 different skaters; the team was ousted in a seven-game first-round series by the Montreal Canadiens.
A three-time finalist, Cooper adds the award to a résumé that includes Stanley Cup titles in 2020 and 2021, 14 seasons with the club and more than 600 career wins.
He prevailed over finalists Lindy Ruff of the Buffalo Sabres and Dan Muse of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
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National Hockey LeagueCooper ‘never thought’ he’d win Adams as top coach







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