Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper is taking time away from the team following his father Robert's death. Assistant coach Rob Zettler will lead the team for their next two games while Cooper handles family matters in Vancouver.
Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper is stepping away from his coaching duties for two games following the passing of his father, Robert Cooper.
The Lightning organization announced that assistant coach Rob Zettler has taken over as interim head coach, leading the team during Wednesday evening’s matchup against Toronto at home and will continue in that role for Thursday’s road game in Carolina.
Cooper, who guided Tampa Bay to back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 2020 and 2021, recently returned from coaching duties with Team Canada at the Milan Cortina Olympics, where his squad earned silver medals after falling 2-1 in overtime to Team USA in the championship match.
Speaking before Wednesday’s contest against the Maple Leafs, Zettler expressed support for his colleague during this difficult time. “Thoughts and prayers, as always, to Coop and his family,” Zettler stated. “That was the No. 1 thing, that he takes care of business back home. He left this morning to go back to Vancouver. What I am in confident in is our guys. They’ve been excellent in so many ways this year, including in times like this where he’s Coop’s missing or something happens to one of the guys.”
The National Hockey League resumed play Wednesday following its Olympic break. Tampa Bay currently sits atop the Atlantic Division with a comfortable six-point advantage, and their 78 points match Carolina’s total for the Eastern Conference lead.
The Lightning demonstrated exceptional form heading into the Olympic pause, posting an impressive 19-1-1 record across their final 21 contests.