Adams is the only man in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup as a player, coach and general manager. But while he's best remembered for his 36-year career as coach and GM of the Detroit Red Wings, Adams was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1959 as a player.

The native of Fort William, Ontario, was a center who played junior and senior hockey before turning pro with the Toronto Arenas late in 1917-18, the NHL's first season. He was scoreless in eight regular-season games but helped Toronto win the initial NHL championship. He did not play in the Stanley Cup Final, when Toronto defeated the Vancouver Millionaires of the Pacific Coast Hockey Association in the best-of-5 series.

Adams played 17 games for Toronto in 1918-19, then signed with Vancouver of the PCHA in December 1919. He blossomed as a player in his new home, leading the league in scoring in 1921-22 with 30 points (26 goals, four assists) and helping Vancouver advance to the Stanley Cup Final, where they lost to Toronto (which had been renamed the St. Patricks).

Toronto signed Adams for the 1922-23 season and he played the next four seasons on a line with another future Hall of Famer, Babe Dye. Adams had 30 points (18 goals, 12 assists) in 23 games in 1922-23, and finished with 21 goals in 1924-25 (fifth in the League) and 21 again in 1925-26 (sixth).

Adams was traded to the Ottawa Senators in August 1926, and though he managed just six points (five goals, one assist) in 40 games, he became a two-time Stanley Cup winner when the Senators defeated the Boston Bruins to win the Cup.

He retired after the 1926-27 season with 125 points (81 goals, 44 assists) in 173 NHL games. Soon after that, Adams took over the Detroit Cougars, who had entered the NHL during his final season as a player. He was GM-coach with Detroit from 1927-47, winning the Stanley Cup in 1936, 1937 and 1943, and remained as general manager through the 1961-62 season, building a team that won the Stanley Cup four times in a span of six seasons from 1949-50 through 1954-55.

Because of his success as a coach, the NHL named the coach of the year award in his honor; it was first awarded after the 1973-74 season.

Adams became president of the Central Hockey League in 1963 and held that office until he died on May 1, 1968 at age 73.