The lively and outspoken coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning engages with reporters in a manner that surpasses his counterparts, providing in-depth and honest responses. In a quiet room adjacent to the visiting coach’s office at Canadian Tire Centre, Cooper sat comfortably, reflecting on his team’s journey over the past decade.
Describing the Lightning’s evolution, Cooper traced their trajectory from being newcomers to struggling contenders and finally to an unstoppable force. However, when prompted to define the current iteration of the Lightning, Cooper hesitated momentarily.
After pondering, Cooper pulled up another chair and paused for about 10 seconds before suggesting that they might now be the team that refuses to fade into obscurity.
Despite their past success, many view the Lightning as an afterthought, overshadowed by younger and more prominent teams. The recent disappointment of a first-round playoff exit has led some to question their relevance, despite their previous Stanley Cup Final appearances.
Cooper sees this skepticism as fuel for motivation, believing that he and his players can use it to prove their worth once again.
Jon Cooper was a fresh-faced rising star when he coached the Norfolk Admirals to the American Hockey League’s Calder Cup championship in 2012 after going on a 28-game winning streak during the season.
He is now one victory away from becoming just the second coach in the NHL’s salary cap era to hoist the Stanley Cup in back-to-back seasons.
Cooper sees many parallels between his run at Norfolk nine years ago and Tampa Bay now, although he acknowledges he is better at his job thanks to almost a decade behind the bench in the top hockey league in the world.
“I’m a much more experienced, seasoned, better coach than I was then,” Cooper said. “I’ve learned a ton from other coaches, watching other coaches and then from the game. The longer you’re around and you see tendencies in the game and things that you think you can improve upon, it just takes time. I guess that’s why it’s called experience.”
The experience in 2012 was a building block to this moment. Along with Cooper, Lightning forwards Tyler Johnson, Ondrej Palat and Alex Killorn were key pieces for
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