During the 2024-25 NHL season, Spencer Carbery took the helm of the Washington Capitals and really turned things around. They ended up with an impressive 51-22-9 record, clinching the top position in both the Metropolitan Division and the Eastern Conference with a total of 111 points. This 20-point improvement from last season is actually the third-largest gain in the league.

With Carbery at the helm, the Capitals’ offense really took off, landing them in second place in the NHL with 286 goals. Their defense also held its own, tying for eighth by giving up just 2.79 goals per game. Even though his team couldn’t bring home another Stanley Cup for NHL’s top goal scorer, Alex Ovechkin, after losing to the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference semifinals, Carbery has still earned quite a bit of recognition.

On X, hockey insider Frank Seravalli reported, “Beautiful moment for Spencer Carbery as he’s surprised by his family and #allcaps with the 2025 Jack Adams Award as coach of the year. All of those stops along the way, leading you to right where you’re supposed to be.” Washington Capitals’ coach Spencer Carbery had a truly heartwarming and historic moment when he received the 2024-25 Jack Adams Award, which honors him as the NHL’s Coach of the Year.

In a heartfelt surprise set up by the Capitals and his family, Carbery thought he was just taking part in a regular end-of-season interview. Instead, he was surprised by the arrival of his wife and kids, who brought him the prestigious trophy, creating a really emotional and memorable moment.

Carbery has earned a prestigious accolade, becoming the fourth coach in Washington Capitals history to snag the Jack Adams Award. He joins some pretty impressive company with Bryan Murray (1983-84), Bruce Boudreau (2007-08), and Barry Trotz (2015-16).

Carbery’s coaching journey is distinguished by a unique trifecta, as stated by NHL writer Tom Gulitti on X: “Spencer Carbery is the first to win coach of the year in the NHL (Washington), AHL (Hershey) and ECHL (South Carolina).” He won the John Brophy Award in the ECHL while playing for the South Carolina Stingrays during the 2013-14 season, and he also took home the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award in the AHL with the Hershey Bears in the 2020-21 season. This journey really highlights his commitment to helping players grow and shows how he can adjust and thrive at every stage of the game. Throughout the season, you could really see the player-coach connection between Ovi and Carbery.

The two Washington Capitals members always backed each other

During the 2024-25 NHL season, the dynamic between Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin and head coach Spencer Carbery was all about mutual respect and a common goal. Ovechkin shared his thoughts on Carbery’s leadership, saying, “We already knew [Carbery]; we have a great relationship. I was happy about this appointment because he knows me [and] many guys on the club who’d previously played in Hershey. I don’t think we should expect any problems.”

Carbery, in response, really appreciated Ovechkin’s commitment and his focus on the team. He mentioned, “When we talk, everything is team-centric. You’d think a lot of the conversation leads to goals and achieving something really, really special and it’s the opposite. It leans towards team stuff and how we’re going to win. That’s a pretty special quality about Alex and what makes him such a great leader and such a great individual athlete.”

As Ovechkin got closer to breaking the all-time goals record, Carbery really pointed out how dedicated the captain is to the team’s success. He mentioned Ovechkin’s physicality, speed, and offensive skills as major reasons behind the Washington Capitals’ impressive performance. Ovechkin and Carbery really clicked, and that connection played a big role in the Capitals bouncing back. It’ll be interesting to see what they can pull off next season!