By Jordan Long
The Tampa Bay Lightning are in the midst of their best season in franchise history. They stand at 59-14-4 for a total of 122 points. Tampa Bay already secured the best record in the NHL and won the President’s Trophy for it. This means any game 7 that they play will be in their building. For the successful season, they agreed to an extension with Head Coach Jon Cooper. It is unclear how long the contract will go.
Cooper was announced as the Lightning’s Head Coach on March 25, 2013. Tampa Bay fired Guy Boucher after 32 games in the lockout shortened season. The Tampa Bay record at the time was a disappointing 13-18-1. Cooper didn’t have better results to end the 2013 season. He guided them to a 5-8-3 finish.
The Lightning were hoping a full season with him behind the bench might equal better results. It did. Tampa Bay went 46-27-9 in 2014 for 101 points, making the playoffs. They were swept by the Montreal Canadians in the 1st-round.
Tampa Bay has played well under Cooper. Including this season so far, he has coached them to an impressive record of 302-157-44, an outstanding winning percentage of .644. Tampa Bay has reached the postseason 5 out of 6 years with him. They haven’t had a deep run under him since 2015 when they went to the Stanley Cup Final but lost to the Chicago Blackhawks. This year they seemed destined to bring Tampa Bay their first Stanley Cup Championship since 2004.
According to ESPN, Tampa Bay General Manager Julien BriseBois said,”His ability to forge impactful relationships with everyone from players to staff has been a trademark of his tenure with the organization and he is the absolute best coach for our hockey team. Coop’s ability to develop a strong culture while continually adapting has been a big part of the team’s success. He has helped set high standards for our organization with his unrelenting drive for excellence.”
The Lightning know how valuable Cooper is to this team. He is one of the top coaches in the NHL. They had to make this move since his contract was going to run out. If they didn’t agree to a new deal, many teams would be interested in Cooper because of the way he can turn a team into a winner. This will keep him in Tampa Bay for years to come. Hopefully Cooper can deliver a Stanley Cup Championship or two.[JL1]
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