Jon Cooper's coaching career has been nothing short of impressive. With two Stanley Cup championships and four Eastern Conference titles under his belt, the Tampa Bay Lightning's head coach has cemented his place in NHL history. While an Olympic gold medal narrowly eluded him, Cooper's resume might soon include another prestigious accolade: the Jack Adams Award.
Despite his decade-long success, Cooper has yet to clinch the Jack Adams, awarded to the NHL's top coach. This season, however, he has positioned the Lightning atop the Atlantic Division, and his recent stint with the Canadian men's Olympic team has further enhanced his reputation.
On a recent episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, hosts Tyler Yaremchuk and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton delved into Cooper's prospects for finally capturing the Jack Adams.
Tyler Yaremchuk noted that although Cooper is often hailed as one of the NHL's elite coaches, the Jack Adams has eluded him. Traditionally, the award tends to favor coaches who lead teams to unexpected success, making it a potentially challenging year for Cooper.
Dan Muse and Patrick Roy are also strong contenders, given their impressive work with their respective teams. Yaremchuk posed the question: Is there over or under a 50% chance that this is Jon Cooper's year?
Carter Hutton weighed in with optimism, suggesting there's more than a 50% chance for Cooper. Highlighting the Lightning's sustained excellence and Cooper's pivotal role, Hutton believes this could be the year Cooper finally gets his due.
He pointed out that the voting process, which occurs after the season concludes, provides a fair assessment of the coaches' achievements. With key players like Nikita Kucherov and Andrei Vasilevskiy poised to make significant impacts, and potential trade deadline additions, the Lightning are set for a strong push, further bolstering Cooper's case.
As the season unfolds, all eyes will be on Cooper and the Lightning, with fans eager to see if this is indeed the year he adds the Jack Adams to his impressive collection.