The Capitals coach is coming off an impressive first year that saw him help D.C. back to the playoffs.
Washington Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery earned considerable praise for what he was able to do in D.C. in his first year as an NHL head coach, as he finished seventh in voting for the Jack Adams Award.
The Jack Adams goes to “the NHL coach adjudged to have contributed the most to his team’s success,” as selected by the NHL Broadcasters’ Association.
Rick Tocchet won the award, but Carbery, the youngest coach in the league, received four first-place votes, one second-place vote and 11 third-place votes.
Carbery is coming off an impressive year with Washington, where he helped the underdog Capitals defy the odds and return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs after missing out entirely a season before. He went 40-31-11 for 91 points in his first campaign behind the bench with a .555 points percentage.
"There was a lot of adversity. A lot of highs, lows," Carbery said of his first year in the District, adding, "It was a really, really special group, I can tell you that. And being able to stand behind the bench and coach these guys and watch... I'll always remember this group for the resiliency and the never-give-in attitude that these guys had."
Several Capitals players took the time to praise Carbery, citing his contagious attitude, his relentless energy and his positivity that made it easy to buy in.
General manager Brian MacLellan also voiced his satisfaction with Carbery, who he hired after Peter Laviolette's departure last season.
"He brought the intensity. He turned it up on a nightly basis so I think that's part of how he's feeling. Our playoffs started a while ago, the intensity, the compete, and then you lose a game and it's so disappointing for whatever reason and I think there's a lot of energy that goes out and is put into that, to get us back to the next level the next night. You're continually addressing that," MacLellan said.