"He did everything he could to get back," Cooper said. "And he did get back, and, unfortunately, he couldn't go any further. I'm sure this will all be addressed after the series is over, but he gamed it out."
Stamkos made just one game for the Lightning in the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs and played only 2:47 in that lone appearance in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final versus Dallas.
But Stamkos scored a hugely-important goal for the Lightning in that 5-2 win to give them their first lead in the best-of-seven series 2-1, taking a pass from Victor Hedman on the right wing, blowing past Esa Lindell along the Stars bench to avoid a check and taking the shot from the right circle on a 2-on-1 with Pat Maroon, sniping a puck to the far upper corner for a 2-0 Lightning lead and as dramatic a goal as any in a Stanley Cup Final.
After the game, Stamkos called the moment a "dream come true."
"It was just an amazing experience to share with my teammates," Stamkos said at the time. "There's been a lot of hard work and different things going on behind the scenes, so just to be able to get out into a game and have an impact on a game, which a month ago may have never been possible, it was amazing to be part of a huge win for us. I was just really happy to contribute in a game that I didn't play too much."
Stamkos only played two more shifts after scoring and just five total for the game, Cooper saying they were "probably as efficient a five shifts you're ever going to see in a National Hockey League playoff game."
He didn't play after 14 minutes had elapsed in the first period, remaining on the bench in a supporting role to encourage his teammates.
Stamkos was ruled out for Games 4 and 5 before Cooper's announcement Sunday he wouldn't play again during the 2019-20 season.
"To be honest, I didn't think he was playing at all in these playoffs," Cooper said. "I don't think any of us did. He gave us 2:47 of brilliant hockey that's a phenomenal story, scored a huge goal for us in a win and hopefully we can keep that momentum moving forward. He's for sure missed on the ice."
Stamkos played his final regular season game on February 25 against Toronto before having surgery to repair a core muscle injury on March 2.
Prior to the Lightning opening their restart training camp back in July, Tampa Bay general manager Julien BriseBois announced Stamkos had sustained a new lower-body injury and wouldn't be a full participant at the start of camp. The hope at that time was Stamkos would be able to train fully at some point during the two-week camp and be available potentially for Tampa Bay's exhibition game against Florida as well as three Round Robin games before the start of the elimination rounds.
But as camp progressed and little was seen of Stamkos other than skating on his own or with the roster callups away from the main group, his chances of getting in a game before the knockout stage dwindled. He practiced with the team in Toronto before they began the playoffs but seemed to suffer a setback as Cooper announced before the final Round Robin game against Philadelphia he was out "indefinitely" and he would let the media know if that status changed.
Between Games 4 and 5 of the Eastern Conference Final, Cooper revealed Stamkos had been practicing periodically with his teammates and did so again that day. Stamkos was a regular participant in practice over the next two weeks until he made his triumphant return September 23 in Game 3 of the Cup Final.
After 2:47 of ice time and only one appearance, Stamkos' 2020 Playoff run is over, the captain scoring the only goal of his career in a Stanley Cup Final in his brief return.
"Hopefully the next time you see him on the ice is during a trophy presentation," Cooper said.
