Cooper has 'perfect demeanor,' continues winning ways as Lightning coach

Legendary journalist Stan Fischler writes a weekly scrapbook for NHL.com. Known as "The Hockey Maven," Stan delivers his insight and humor to readers every Wednesday. This week compares the Tampa Bay Lightning with the franchise's early years and how it's reached the NHL gold standard as three-time Stanley Cup champions.

It was not many seasons ago when the Tampa Bay Lightning may have been entering a transition phase.

Captain Steven Stamkos left to join the Nashville Predators as a free agent July 1, 2024, and many were thinking an era that included back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 2020 and 2021 and three consecutive runs to the Stanley Cup Final (2020-22) had come to an end.

It was a mighty challenge for Lightning coach Jon Cooper, yet the longest-tenured coach in the NHL since he was hired March 25, 2013, has Tampa Bay in a close race with the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens for first in the Atlantic Division.

"Jon has the perfect demeanor behind the bench and his players enjoy playing for him," TNT network play-by-play broadcaster Kenny Albert said.

Exhibit A is Nikita Kucherov, a three-time Art Ross Trophy winner (2019, 2024, '25) and the 2019 Hart Trophy winner voted as NHL most valuable player in his 12th season with the Lightning. The forward had 31 points (12 goals, 19 assists) in 18 games from Feb. 26 to April 5, two behind New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes for most in the NHL and three ahead of Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid. 

Kucherov had four points (two goals, two assists) and scored his first short-handed goal in the NHL when the Lightning defeated the Oilers 5-2 in Edmonton on March 21.

"Connor is a racehorse, whereas 'Kuch' slows it down and plays at his own pace," Cooper said after the game. "They're two elite players doing it two different ways,"

What makes the comparison so ironic is that McDavid would be first in most fantasy drafts, yet Kucherov was the NHL scoring champion the past two seasons. Likewise, Cooper has never won the Jack Adams Award given to the NHL coach of the year. He was runner-up to Barry Trotz of the New York Islanders in 2019 and third in 2014 behind Patrick Roy of the Colorado Avalanche and Mike Babcock of the Detroit Red Wings. 

Devils radio analyst Glenn "Chico" Resch, goalie for the 1980 Stanley Cup champion Islanders, compared Cooper with Al Arbour, who coached New York to a dynastic four titles in a row.

"What Cooper and Arbour have in common is an understanding of strategy, structure and how they are absolutes for consistent winning," Resch said. "'Coop' knows how to delegate and build strong relationships with his assistant coaches. He calms the waters rather than cause huge negative waves when things aren't going well. Plus, he has strong relationships with his players."

In 1992-93, reporter Joe Dionisio covered the Lightning's opening season for the Palm Beach Post and Hockey Hall of Famer Phil Esposito was front man for the original ownership group. 

"Phil was ecstatic on Tampa's opening night (Oct. 7, 1992) because he was able to sign (New York) Rangers' castoff, Chris Kontos," Dionisio said. "That night, Kontos buried four goals against Vezina-winner Ed Belfour of the (Chicago) Blackhawks in a 7-3 Tampa win." 

Manon Rheaume became the first woman to play an NHL game when she was Lightning goalie for the first period of a preseason game against the St. Louis Blues on Sept. 23, 1992. She allowed two goals on nine shots and generated enough publicity for Florida hockey while, as Dionisio put it, "helped start the rise of interest in women's hockey in America." 

Still, it wasn't until John Tortorella became Lightning coach in place of Steve Ludzik on Jan. 6, 2001, that his intense touch helped make stars out of Vincent Lecavalier, Martin St. Louis, Brad Richards and Dave Andreychuk. They turned Tampa Bay into a real hockey town and won the Stanley Cup with a seven-game win against the Calgary Flames in the 2004 Stanley Cup Final.

The winning tradition has continued, and nobody has done it as long, nor as well, for the Lightning than Cooper, who coached his 1,000th game when Tampa Bay defeated the Anaheim Ducks 4-3 at Honda Center on Dec. 31.

"I'm still one of the 'newbies' in the League," Cooper said.

Newbies? 

Perhaps it's because Cooper always finds new ways to win.