The Tampa Bay Lightning have announced that they have signed head coach Jon Cooper to a multi-year contract extension. Team vice president and general manager Julien BriseBois announced the deal earlier on Tuesday. The coach’s deal was to expire at the end of the season. No terms of the deal have been announced.
🗣 COOOOOOOOP!
He’s not going anywhere. Originally named our head coach on March 25, 2013, we’ve signed him today to a multi-year contract extension. ⚡️https://t.co/1GuuHexBuG
— Tampa Bay Lightning (@TBLightning) March 26, 2019
Jon Cooper Inks Extension Lightning
The Prince George, British Columbia native is Tampa Bay’s all-time wins leader with 302. His career record is 302-157-44 since taking over in March 2013. The 51-year-old took the Lightning to the Stanley Cup final in the 2014-15 season and reached the conference finals in 2015-16 and 2017-18.
This year’s team has already locked up the President’s Trophy and has a mark of 59-14-4. Tampa Bay is one of the favourites to bring home the club’s second Stanley Cup and first 2003-04.
Cooper has worked his way up from the ranks of the USHL with the Green Bay Gamblers and the AHL with the Norfolk Admirals and Syracuse Crunch. He replaced Guy Boucher and is now the longest tenured coach in the league.
“I am very pleased to announce Jon’s extension today,” BriseBois said in a statement. “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. I would like to thank Coop and his family for their continuous commitment to the organization, as well as to the Tampa Bay community, and I look forward to working in partnership with Jon for years to come.”
What it Means for the Future
The Lightning get to keep one of the best coaches in the league. Cooper has managed to blend his talented veterans like Steven Stamkos, Nikita Kucherov, Victor Hedman and others along with excellent young players like Brayden Point.
Tampa Bay has high expectations and anything short of a title will be disappointing. Cooper may be the coach that leads the Lightning to the promised land.
TAMPA, FL – MAY 11: Head Coach Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning looks on against the Washington Capitals during the second period in Game One of the Eastern Conference Finals during the 2018 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs at Amalie Arena on May 11, 2018 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images)
