Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper has the chance to take home a long-awaited honor. He has been named a finalist for the Jack Adams Award, awarded to the best head coach during the NHL season.

He’s been named a finalist alongside Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Dan Muse and Buffalo Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff. It’s his third time overall being a finalist and his first nomination since the 2018-19 season.

Jon Cooper, Dan Muse, and Lindy Ruff are the finalists for the Jack Adams Award! 👏 #NHLAwards

The Jack Adams Award is presented annually to the NHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team's success. pic.twitter.com/cBmlUO184C

— NHL (@NHL) May 1, 2026

Despite all the success the Lightning have had during his tenure, he’s never won the award. The only time a Lightning head coach has won the award was when John Tortorella won it in 2003-04, the same year the Lightning won their first Stanley Cup.

The only two seasons that saw Cooper named a finalist were when he coached the Lightning to their first playoff appearance under his tenure and following the 2018-19 season, when the Lightning won the Presidents’ Trophy.

He still has tough competition. The Penguins snapped a three-season playoff drought in Muse’s first season at the helm. The Sabres are in the playoffs for the first time since the 2010-11 season, while also capturing their first division crown since they won the Northeast Division in 2009-10.

Cooper brings a solid case to the table. The Lightning had their highest finish in the Atlantic Division since the 2019-20 season and reached the 100-point threshold for the first time since the 2021-22 season. This was all done while managing major injuries on the staff. He spent significant time without Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh and Brayden Point, while Brandon Hagel also missed some time.

It’s a season that understandably could have seen the Lightning take another step back, but they remained in the race for the Atlantic crown until nearly the final game of the regular season. Time will tell if this showing is enough to put him over the top.

The award will be announced at a later date. So far, other members of the Lightning who have been named finalists for awards include Nikita Kucherov (Ted Lindsay Award) and Andrei Vasilevskiy (Vezina Trophy).

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