Lightning celebrates Cooper’s 1,000th NHL game with special pregame ceremony

Jon Cooper was celebrated like a champion on Tuesday.

The Tampa Bay Lightning honored their head coach reaching the 1,000 NHL games coached milestone during a pregame ceremony before the team’s game against the Colorado Avalanche at Benchmark International Arena.

Cooper was joined by his wife, Jessie, and kids, Julia, Josie and Jonny, on the ice during the celebration.

A tribute video narrated by Scotty Bowman featuring highlights throughout Cooper’s 13-year tenure with the Lightning aired on the arena video board.

The Lightning gifted Cooper a custom painting of him lifting the Stanley Cup.

Special video messages from friends, former assistant coaches and players including Wayne Gretzky, Charles Barkley, Jeff Blashill and Steven Stamkos also aired on the arena video board.

“They told me you just reached a milestone coaching a thousand games in the NHL,” Barkley said in a clip. “Hey man, that is a great accomplishment. You know you are my guy, you are an awful fisherman, but you are a hell of a coach."

Lightning owners Jeff Vinik and Doug Ostrover presented Cooper with a custom Rolex watch and engraved silver stick to commemorate the achievement.

Cooper’s kids each received their own mini silver sticks on behalf of all the pediatric cancer patients who have been helped by “Coop’s Catch for Kids,” the head coach’s annual charity fishing tournament.

Before the game, Lightning players sported custom T-shirts featuring one of their head coach’s “rules.”

“No excuses, play like a champion – Rule 76,” was written on the shirts.

On Dec. 31, Cooper coached his 1,000th NHL game during the Lightning’s game against the Anaheim Ducks. He is the fifth coach in NHL history to reach the milestone with the same team.

Cooper was hired by the Lightning in 2013 and is the longest-tenured head coach in the NHL. He has coached the team to four Stanley Cup Final appearances, winning back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021.