Coach Jon Cooper Misses Tampa Bay Games Following Father's Death and Olympic Final

The NHL hockey league resumes play after the Olympic break, but one of its most decorated coaches, Jon Cooper, will not be on the bench for the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first games. The Florida club confirmed that the 58-year-old coach will miss Wednesday's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Thursday's match against the Carolina Hurricanes due to the death of his father, Robert Cooper. Jon Cooper is one of the key figures in modern NHL hockey. He took over the Tampa Bay Lightning in March 2013 and led the team to dominance in the league, winning the Stanley Cup in the 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 seasons. His style based on fast, offensive hockey and playoff effectiveness has made him one of the longest-tenured coaches in the league. As assistant coach Rob Zettler, quoted by the NHL service, conveyed, the coach's father died "two nights ago or the night before." Cooper, who hails from Prince George in Canada's British Columbia, immediately traveled to Vancouver to attend to family matters. The club did not reveal the cause of death of Robert Cooper, who was a construction entrepreneur. This personal tragedy befell the coach at a particularly emotional moment in his career. Just a few days earlier, on Sunday, Cooper, as head coach of Team Canada, lost the final of the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics to the United States 1-2 in overtime, securing a silver medal. This was the culmination of his work with the national team, which he also led to success in previous years. „I spent a long time with him last night on a lot of personal matters. As always, our thoughts and prayers are with 'Coop' and his family. The biggest thing was just to take care of things at home.” — Rob Zettler During the head coach's absence, his assistants Jeff Halpern, Rob Zettler, and Dan Hinote will take over duties. According to Reuters, Cooper is expected to return to work this coming Saturday when the Lightning host the Buffalo Sabres. Meanwhile, the Florida team returns to league competition in excellent form, sharing the lead in the Eastern Conference with the Carolina Hurricanes, with an identical 78 points (record 37-14-4). The absence of a coach with such authority and experience, especially during such a crucial period of the season, poses a challenge for the club. Jon Cooper is a figure inextricably linked to Tampa Bay's success over the past decade. Since taking over in March 2013, his record stands at 609 wins, 320 losses, and 87 ties, placing him among the most effective coaches in league history. His personal loss casts a shadow on the league's return to competition, reminding us of the human dimension of sport, which is often lost in statistics and results. The Cooper family has roots on both sides of the Canadian-American border; his mother, Christine, was from San Francisco and passed away in November of last year, making the recent months exceptionally difficult for the coach.