Cooper, who heads Tampa, is recognized as the best coach of the NHL season.

The Canadian specialist John Cooper, who heads the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey Club, was recognized as the best coach following the results of the National Hockey League (NHL) regular season. The relevant information was published on the official website of the league on June 3.

Cooper will be the recipient of the 2026 Jack Adams Award, which is presented annually to the NHL coach "recognized as having made the greatest contribution to the success of his team," the publication says.

Following the results of 82 regular season matches, Tampa scored 106 points, taking second place in the Atlantic Division table. In the first round of the playoffs, the team lost to Montreal, losing the series with a score of 3-4.

Cooper is 58 years old and has won this award for the first time in his career. Lindy Ruff from Buffalo and Dan Muse, who heads Pittsburgh, were also among the finalists for the nomination. The specialist has been the head coach of Tampa since 2013. Under his leadership, the team won the Stanley Cup twice in 2020 and 2021.

Internationally, John Cooper led the Canadian national team, with which he won silver medals at the 2017 World Championships and the Olympic Games in Italy. In addition, the Canadian team led by Cooper won the Four Nations Tournament last year.

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