TAMPA, Fla. – The Lightning celebrated Jon Cooper’s 1,000th game Tuesday night at Benchmark International Arena. The 58-year-old became the 32nd coach to reach that plateau on New Year’s Eve in Anaheim.
A video tribute narrated by Scotty Bowman included congratulatory messages from Wayne Gretzky, Steven Stamkos and Alex Killorn, who was with the Bolts for Cooper’s first game and in a Ducks’ uniform for the 1,000th. Cooper was joined on the ice by his wife, Jessie, and three children, daughters Julia and Josie, and son Jonny.
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“I could see the joy in my kids’ faces and my wife, and that was the big joy for me,” said Cooper, whose Coop’s Catch For Kids fishing tournament has raised $1.5 million to help combat pediatric cancer. “And the fact that, come on, Scotty Bowman narrated it.”
Cooper took over for Guy Boucher and coached his first game March 26, 2013 at Buffalo, a 3-1 loss.
Cooper’s 594 wins in his first 1,000 games were the most by an NHL coach with the same franchise. They were also second-most by any coach in his first 1,000 games, trailing Bowman. Cooper, whose Lightning bested Colorado, 4-2, for their eighth straight win, improved to 598-319-86.
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