Capitals finished first in the Eastern Conference and second in the NHL under second-year head coach
ARLINGTON, Va. – The National Hockey League announced today that Capitals head coach Spencer Carbery is one of three finalists for the Jack Adams Award, presented to the head coach who has “adjudged to have contributed the most to his team’s success” as voted by members of the NHL Broadcasters’ Association. Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel and Montreal Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis are also finalists for the award. Carbery is a finalist for the Jack Adams Award for the first time.
Carbery is vying to become the fourth head coach in Capitals franchise history to win the Jack Adams Award, joining Bryan Murray (1983-84), Bruce Boudreau (2007-08) and Barry Trotz (2015-16). Carbery guided the Capitals to a record of 51-22-9 (111 points) this season, as the team finished first in the Metropolitan Division and Eastern Conference and second in the NHL. The Capitals improved by 20 points in Carbery’s second season behind the bench (2023-24: 40-31-11, 91 points), which marked the third-largest point improvement by a team from 2023-24 to 2024-25 (Columbus: +23; Anaheim: +21). Washington’s 51 wins and 111 points were the fourth most in a single season in franchise history, behind only the team’s Presidents’ Trophy campaigns in 2009-10 (54-15-13, 121 points), 2015-16 (56-18-8, 120 points) and 2016-17 (55-19-8, 118 points).
The Capitals, whose opening night lineup featured seven new players, ranked second in the NHL in goals for (286) in 2024-25 after ranking 28th in 2023-24 (216). Washington ranked tied for eighth in the NHL in goals against per game this season (2.79), making them one of seven teams to rank in the top 10 in goals for per game (3.49, 2nd) and goals against per game. The Capitals also ranked first in the NHL comeback wins (25), tied for second in road wins (25), tied for third in goal differential (+56) and tied for fourth in penalty-kill percentage (82.0).
Carbery, who won the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award as the AHL’s outstanding coach in 2020-21 with the Hershey Bears and the John Brophy Coach of The Year Award in 2013-14 with the South Carolina Stingrays, can become the first coach ever to win coach of the year awards in the NHL, AHL and ECHL.
