Lightning’s Jon Cooper to miss next two games
The Tampa Bay Lightning will be without head coach Jon Cooper for their first two games back from the Olympic break, as he is currently taking time away from the team after the passing of his father.
The Lightning announce Head Coach Jon Cooper will not be behind the #GoBolts bench tonight or tomorrow due to the passing of his father. Thoughts go out to Coop and his family.
The Lightning play the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday, followed by a matchup with the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday. They then play again on Saturday against the Buffalo Sabres, but at this point in time it’s not known if Cooper will have returned to the team by then.
While there isn’t an official confirmation regarding who will take over head coaching duties during Cooper’s absence, it’s likely going to be assistant coach Rob Zettler, who ran practice on Tuesday and was answering media questions following the practice.
The passing of Cooper’s father comes just after a disappointing end to the Olympic tournament for Cooper, who was the head coach for Canada’s men’s ice hockey team. After winning all three preliminary round games with ease, Canada began to struggle in the playoffs, as they trailed in both the quarterfinal against Czechia and in the semifinal against Finland, only to lose in the gold-medal game to the United States.
It’s a tough point in what’s otherwise been an excellent season for Cooper. Despite the plethora of injuries the Lightning have had to deal with, including key players like Victor Hedman, Ryan McDonagh and Brayden Point, Cooper has coached the team to a 37-14-4 record, which is good for first in the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference, and second in the league behind the Colorado Avalanche.
The Lightning’s surprising success this season has also put Cooper as one of the frontrunners for the Jack Adams Award as the best head coach. Despite being the longest-tenured coach, now in his 14th season with the Lightning, and winning two Stanley Cups and a Presidents’ Trophy, Cooper has never won the award, and has only been named a finalist twice.