Former Rangers assistants Dan Muse and Lindy Ruff are finalists for the Jack Adams Award, recognizing the NHL's top coach. They join Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning as contenders for the prestigious honor, to be awarded next month.
Key points
Dan Muse and Lindy Ruff are Jack Adams Award finalists
Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning is the third finalist
Award recognizes NHL's top coach as voted by broadcasters
Muse assisted Rangers to Presidents’ Trophy and Eastern Conference Final
Rangers failed to make playoffs, leading to Laviolette's firing
Mentioned in this story
Dan MuseLindy RuffPeter LavioletteJon Cooper
Jack Adams AwardNew York RangersTampa Bay Lightning
Two former Rangers assistants named finalists for Jack Adams Award
James Guillory-Imagn Images
Former New York Rangers assistants Dan Muse and Lindy Ruff were named Friday as two of the three finalists for the Jack Adams Award, given annually to the NHL’s top coach as voted by the National Hockey League Broadcasters Association.
Muse was an assistant with the Rangers under Peter Laviolette in 2023-24 and 2024-25, primarily focused on the penalty kill. The Rangers won the Presidents’ Trophy and advanced to the Eastern Conference Final in his first season with the Blueshirts. But they failed to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season, resulting in Laviolette’s firing.
The Rangers then hired Mike Sullivan after he and the Pittsburgh Penguins parted ways following a third straight non-playoff finish. The Pens gave Muse his first NHL head coaching gig on June 4.
Muse guided the Penguins to a 41-25-16 record, a second-place finish in the Metropolitan Division and their first playoff berth in four seasons. Their 98 points represented an 18-point improvement from last season. The Penguins used an NHL-high 44 players but still scored the third-most goals per game (3.54), were seventh on the power play (24.1 percent) and tied for sixth on the penalty kill (81.4 percent).
Q&A
Who are the finalists for the Jack Adams Award in 2025-26?
The finalists for the Jack Adams Award are Dan Muse, Lindy Ruff, and Jon Cooper.
What is the Jack Adams Award and who votes for it?
The Jack Adams Award is given annually to the NHL's top coach, as voted by the National Hockey League Broadcasters Association.
What were Dan Muse's accomplishments with the Rangers?
Dan Muse helped the Rangers win the Presidents’ Trophy and reach the Eastern Conference Final in his first season as an assistant coach.
Why was Peter Laviolette fired as the Rangers' coach?
Peter Laviolette was fired after the Rangers failed to make the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season.
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NHL: Pittsburgh Penguins at Winnipeg Jets
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The Penguins’ 290 goals were their most during Sidney Crosby’s 20 seasons with the team – and their most in a single season since scoring 360 in 1995-96. However, the Penguins lost their first-round playoff series to the Philadelphia Flyers in six games.
The 43-year-old would be the first rookie coach to win the award since Patrick Roy did it with the Colorado Avalanche in 2013-14. He is the third Penguins coach to be a Jack Adams finalist and would be the first to win the award since Dan Bylsma in 2010-11.
Ex-Rangers assistants Muse, Ruff are Jack Adams Award finalists
Ruff was an assistant with the Rangers from 2017-20 after four seasons coaching the Dallas Stars. Before that, he spent 15 seasons as coach of the Sabres, leading them to the Stanley Cup Final in 1999, when they lost to the Stars in six games.
He left the Rangers to coach the New Jersey Devils in 2020-21. The Devils fired him in March 2024, and he returned to the Sabres a month later.
Buffalo missed the playoffs for the NHL-record 14th consecutive season in 2024-25, but Ruff led them to one of the more remarkable turnarounds in NHL history this season. The Sabres were 11-13-4 and last in the Eastern Conference on Dec. 5, then went 39-10-5 the rest of the way to finish 50-23-9 and win the Atlantic Division – their first division title since 2009-10 — and end their playoff drought.
Buffalo was fifth with 3.45 goals-per game and tied for 10th defensively, allowing 2.93 goals per game after finishing 20th (3.50 goals per game) in the NHL last season. The Sabres lead their first-round playoff series against the Boston Bruins 3-2 entering Game 6 on Friday night.
“That just means that our coaching staff did one (heck) of a job,” Ruff said. “This isn’t a one-man job and the hours these guys have put in and where we got to, a complete team effort.”
The 66-year-old is a finalist for the fifth time, tying the NHL record held by former Rangers coaches John Tortorella and Alain Vigneault as well as Scotty Bowman, the NHL’s all-time leader in coaching wins with 1,244.
Ruff, who is fourth all-time with 950 wins, won the award with the Sabres in 2005-06; he finished second twice and third once.
NHL: Florida Panthers at Tampa Bay Lightning
Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images
Cooper helped the Lightning finish second in the Atlantic Division with a 50-26-6 record and clinch their ninth-straight playoff berth. Tampa Bay finished fourth in goals-per game (3.49), third in goals-against per game (2.79) and third on the power play (82.6 percent).
A three-time finalist, Cooper finished second to Barry Trotz of the New York Islanders in 2018-19 and was third in 2013-14. He would be the first Lightning coach to win the award since Tortorella in 2003-04, when they won their first Stanley Cup championship.
