Mar 7, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper enjoys a light moment on the bench during a time out against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second period at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
Mar 7, 2026; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper enjoys a light moment on the bench during a time out against the Toronto Maple Leafs in the second period at Scotiabank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
The Tampa Bay Lightning head coach, Jon Cooper, edged the field to secure his first Jack Adams Award after a splendid 2025-26 NHL season. When Cooper was at Tampa General Hospital for a charity event on Wednesday, June 3, the NHL officials surprised him with the coveted trophy.
He was there to cut a ribbon for Coop’s Catch for Kids Family Lounge, which got funded by the sum raised through his charity fishing tournament.
“OK, you got me,” Cooper said, as per the NHL, after achieving the prestigious coaching honor. “I never thought this day would come.”
NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) on X revealed the full Jack Adams Award list in one of their recent posts, which included the voting points and the 1st-2nd-3rd picks from the voters.
“Full voting table for the Jack Adams Award, won by #GoBolts’ Jon Cooper, as selected by the NHL Broadcasters’ Association. He beat Lindy Ruff by 3 points. #Sabrehood,” they wrote.
Cooper got 36 first-place votes along with a total of 58 top-three votes among the 99 ballots cast, to reach a total of 226 voting points. With that, he managed to beat head coach Lindy Ruff of the Buffalo Sabres by just three points in a close battle for the top spot.
Notably, this is the first time Cooper has won the Award after making the list of finalists for the third time. He was in second place in votes in the 2018-19 season after being third in 2013-14.
He is also the second head coach from the Lightning to clinch the Jack Adams Award after John Tortorella did it in the 2003-04 season. Tortorella is currently coaching the Vegas Golden Knights, who are 1-0 ahead in the 2026 Stanley Cup Final against the Carolina Hurricanes.
Jon Cooper’s 2025-26 NHL campaign with the Tampa Bay Lightning
Jon Cooper is the longest-tenured head coach in the NHL currently, after joining the Tampa Bay Lightning on March 25, 2013. He has won two Stanley Cup titles with the Lightning in 2020 and 2021, apart from reaching the final in 2015.
The 2018-19 season saw Tampa secure their first ever Presidents’ Trophy with Cooper at the helm.
In the 2025-26 NHL season, he guided the franchise to its ninth straight Stanley Cup Playoffs with an impressive 50-26-6 record for 106 points. After finishing second in the Atlantic Division, they exited the competition in the first round of the playoffs with a Game 7 defeat against the Montreal Canadiens.
Although Cooper also earned his 600th win in the NHL this January, reaching the big number as the second fastest in history.
Amidst that, he was the head coach for Team Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics in February, where they won the silver medal after losing to the United States. The Prince George, British Columbia, native also lost his father during the competition held in Milan, Italy.
“You look back, and you would've loved to spread all that stuff out over years instead of what happened in the last eight months,” remarked Cooper, as per the NHL. “My mom and dad are no longer with us anymore, so they didn't get the opportunity to see this event, but they're definitely with me right now.”
Will Jon Cooper continue to bring success to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the NHL? Let us know in the comments.
Written by
Arjun Sharma
Edited by
Ankita Yadav