TAMPA, Fla. – The Tampa Bay Lightning are hitting the ice again after the Olympic break, but they will be doing so with a heavy heart and an empty spot on the bench. The team confirmed today that head coach Jon Cooper will be stepping away for two games following the death of his father.
The 58-year-old coach is slated to miss a Wednesday night matchup at home against the Toronto Maple Leafs, as well as a quick turnaround road trip to face the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday.
Cooper arrives back in Tampa fresh off a silver-medal run at the Milan Cortina Olympics.
Leading Team Canada, he saw his squad fall just short in a 2-1 overtime heartbreaker against the United States in Sunday’s gold-medal final. RELATED: NHL Star Jeremy Roenick Defends Olympic Hockey Celebration Featuring FBI Director Kash Patel
In his absence, the coaching responsibilities will fall to assistants Jeff Halpern, Rob Zettler, and Dan Hinote. The trio will manage the bench as a committee until Cooper is expected to rejoin the team for Saturday’s home game against the Buffalo Sabres.
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