Dan Muse was a finalist for the Jack Adams award as coach of the year, but it was Tampa’s Jon Cooper who took first place in the voting.
It’s the first Adams award for Cooper, who has long been considered one of the very best coaches in the NHL since taking over the Lightning way back in 2013. Despite that, Tampa lost their hold in first place of the Atlantic Division to fellow Adams award finalist Lindy Ruff and the Buffalo Sabres.
The Lightning did deal with a myriad of injuries this year, particularly on defense and that plus the career achievement looks like it tipped the scales for the voters.
Muse, in his first season, took a Penguin team with a 75 point over/under in Vegas all the way to 98 and a playoff berth.
Like no other award, the Jack Adams results don’t tend to linger very long in the fast-changing world of the NHL. Just take a look back at the 2024 voting where the majority have already left their respective teams after just a few years.