The gregarious, talkative coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning provides more in-depth and candid responses to inquiries from the media than anyone else in his profession. And Cooper was in his customary conversational mood in an empty room at Canadian Tire Centre, across the hallway from the visiting coach’s office.
Perched on a stool, thinking back on his team’s ten-year history, Cooper skillfully outlined the Lightning’s development.
“I have witnessed our progression from being the newcomers to the block to the ones who are unstoppable,” Cooper remarked.
But Cooper found himself speechless when asked what name he would give the Lightning’s latest iteration.
He answered, “That’s a good question.”
Cooper pulled up another chair and spread his legs across it as he considered his response. After thinking for over ten seconds, he eventually responded, “Maybe now, we’re the kids that don’t want anybody to forget about them.”
A tiny “F you” comes out of the guys when they think of us as afterthoughts. “Whoa, whoa, whoa,” they exclaim. We’re still important,” Cooper remarked. “Therefore, it is definitely useful.”
Cooper, who is in his 12th season as Tampa’s bench coach, is always seeking for fresh methods to rile up his group. He feels that during his time here, his personality has drastically changed. Cooper is calm and collected in this interview, even though his team lost 4-2 in Columbus 18 hours prior. Cooper stated that if his team had just suffered a setback, his attitude would have been very different a few years ago.
“Back then, I rode the roller coaster to the top after every victory and flew off the tracks after every defeat. Additionally, my emotional response to things now is very different,” Cooper remarked. “I’m thinking much more broadly now. I had a narrower mindset then.
Then, Cooper acknowledges that his newfound perspective may have changed how his team’s 2015 Stanley Cup Final run ended, as they lost to Chicago in six games after blowing a 2-1 series lead.
“Who knows? He speculates that Jon Cooper of today could have been able to lead the 2015 squad to two more Stanley Cup victories.
Leave a Reply