Photo: WJLA
Spencer Carbery of the Washington Capitals is the 2024-25 recipient of the Jack Adams Award as “the NHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team’s success,” as selected by the NHL Broadcasters’ Association, the league announced on Saturday morning.
Carbery believed he was sitting down for an end-of-season interview when members of his family – including his wife and children – surprised him with the trophy.
Carbery is the fourth Washington head coach to win the Jack Adams Award, following Bryan Murray (1983-84), Bruce Boudreau (2007-08) and Barry Trotz (2015-16). He also becomes the first individual to capture coach of the year honors at the ECHL, AHL and NHL levels, after winning the ECHL’s John Brophy Award in 2013-14 (South Carolina Stingrays) and the AHL’s Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award in 2020-21 (Hershey Bears).
The second-year Capitals head coach was a runaway winner, receiving 81 first-place votes among the 103 ballots cast for 464 voting points. Scott Arniel of the Winnipeg Jets garnered 16 first-place votes in finishing second with 249 points, followed by Martin St. Louis of the Montreal Canadiens (66 points).
Carbery led the Capitals (51-22-9, 111 points) to the No. 2 overall record in the NHL as well as the top seed in the Eastern Conference for the first time since 2016-17. After seeing an 11-point improvement during his first season, Washington jumped 20 points this year – the third-largest gain from 2023-24 behind only Columbus (+23) and Anaheim (+21). The Capitals also boasted a 68-goal improvement in total offense (including shootout-deciding goals), rising from 28th place in 2023-24 (220) to second this season (288). The team additionally finished among the League leaders in comeback wins (1st; 25), road points (t-1st; 53), goal differential (t-3rd; +56), penalty killing (5th; 82.0%), home points (7th; 58) and goals against (9th; 232, including shootout-deciding goals).
The best players and coaches from the 2024-25 season will be celebrated in the 2025 NHL Awards, a one-hour special that will premiere on Thursday, June 12, at 6 p.m. ET on TNT in the U.S. and Sportsnet in Canada, before Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final. The show will highlight all NHL Award winners this season, including Carbery and others revealed in a series of special surprise video announcements across all League platforms leading up to the June 12 program.
