EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsJon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning has finally won the Jack Adams Award as NHL coach of the year.Cooper, 58, completed his 14th NHL season as the Lightning's head coach. He led Tampa Bay to third in the Eastern Conference (106 points) during a season that saw them play through significant lineup absences from stars like defensemen Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh, as well as top center Brayden Point. The league's longest-tenured coach helped the Lightning to a ninth consecutive playoff berth, before they lost in the first round to the Montreal Canadiens.Lindy Ruff, who led the Buffalo Sabres to their first playoff appearance since 2011, and first-year coach Dan Muse of the Pittsburgh Penguins were the other finalists for the Jack Adams. Members of the NHL Broadcasters' Association vote on the annual award.Cooper is the second Lightning coach to win the Jack Adams, following John Tortorella in 2004. This was Cooper's third time as a finalist.Cooper was favored to win the award for most of the season because he had yet to capture the Jack Adams, despite being one of the league's most successful coaches. He won the Stanley Cup twice with the Lightning, and led them to two other Finals appearances.Cooper is second only to Carolina's Rod Brind'Amour (.659) in points percentage among active coaches with .639. He's seventh among active coaches in wins (622). He became the second-fastest coach in league history to reach 600 wins with a 5-1 victory on Jan. 12 against the Philadelphia Flyers shortly after coaching in his 1,000th career game.He was also the head coach of the Olympic silver medalist Canadian men's national team this year.Cooper was presented with the award at an event at Tampa General Hospital for the "Coop's Catch for Kids" lounge for pediatric cancer patients and their families, as part of the NHL's effort to create viral moments with its award announcements.
