The Prince George native with the distinctive teaching again story treasures these journeys with Tampa Bay to play the Canucks as a result of “persons are excited for you and to have the ability to come and watch the Vancouver staff that all of us grew up watching”
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Jon Cooper was each a lawyer and an Outlaw on his technique to changing into head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning.
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The 56-year-old from Prince George, who’s again in B.C. this week as a part of the Lightning’s match-up with the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday, was a public defender in Lansing, Mich., when he was coaxed into teaching a highschool hockey staff in 1999-2000 by space decide Thomas Brennan Jr., who had a son on that squad.
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That was the start of a profession change for Cooper, a two-time Stanley Cup champion now with Tampa Bay who’s the present longest-tenured bench boss within the NHL, with 12 seasons and counting.
Cooper and Brennan had lined up collectively on the Authorized Eagles, a rec staff made up of members of legislation neighborhood. Cooper was the Eagles’ greatest participant, however hockey was possible Cooper’s second-best sport, after lacrosse.
Cooper performed discipline at Hofstra College, a Hempstead, N.Y., college the place he began on his technique to a legislation diploma. He performed field within the summers, together with a three-year run within the B.C. Junior A Lacrosse League with the Richmond Outlaws the place he amassed 63 objectives and 129 factors in a mixed 48 common season video games.
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He put up 25 objectives and 52 factors in 15 video games in his remaining season in 1988. He was fifth in scoring for an Outlaw staff that got here in fourth within the six-team loop at 10-13 however had been swept within the best-of-three first spherical of the playoffs by the first-place Esquimalt Legion, a 20-3 squad that featured Paul and Gary Gait.
Cooper gave up field lacrosse after that summer time to give attention to college. Richmond final had a staff within the Junior A league in 1993.
“The Richmond Outlaws … it’s simply unhappy that they’re not round anymore,” Cooper mentioned after a Tampa Bay follow at UBC earlier this week. “I’ve nonetheless obtained the coat. I’ve nonetheless obtained all the pieces.”
It was a dialog crammed with reminiscing. Cooper grew up watching Sports activities Web page, the late-night spotlight TV present, and he grinned when requested concerning the Lighting hiring Web page alum Dave Randorf as their TV play-by-play man in January 2021.
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“I liked these guys,” Cooper mentioned of a Web page staff that included the likes of Randorf, Don Taylor and Barry Macdonald, amongst others. “It’s superb the way it simply comes full circle. I at all times make some extent of occurring exhibits with these guys after I’m out right here. It’s cool to see that so lots of them are nonetheless at it indirectly.”
Cooper nonetheless has household in Prince George. He went to highschool at Notre Dame, the famous hockey academy in Wilcox, Sask., and admits these annual Lightning western highway journeys are particularly significant to him as a result of “you get that swing of everyone you grew up with.”
“And persons are excited for you and to have the ability to come and watch the Vancouver staff that all of us grew up watching,” Cooper mentioned. “It’s fairly cool to be part of it, and it’s fairly cool to encompass your self with household.
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“It’s nonetheless a enjoyable time. We solely get to return annually.”
Cooper continued to educate with different groups after that top college season, all of the whereas nonetheless practising legislation. He determined to surrender the court-room pursuits and focus solely on the rink in 2003-04 when he signed on to information the Texarkana Bandits, a junior staff within the North American Hockey League (NAHL).
He gained titles within the NAHL and the junior United States Hockey League earlier than getting employed by the Lightning in 2010-11 to educate their then-AHL Norfolk Admirals farm staff.
He gained an AHL crown in 2011-12, and the Lightning moved him as much as run the massive staff in March 2013, once they fired Man Boucher. The following-longest tenured energetic coach within the league is Mike Sullivan, who took over the Pittsburgh Penguins bench in December 2015.
By all of it, Cooper says he was ready to make use of what he discovered as a lawyer.
“It taught me how you can stand up in entrance of individuals,” mentioned Cooper, who went to Thomas M. Cooley Legislation College in Lansing, Mich. “That’s a giant factor.
“It’s an unheralded craft that it’s important to have, whether or not it’s chatting with the media or chatting with your staff. It’s akin to chatting with the jury. You need to persuade them about your aspect of the argument. You’ll be able to have to do this with teaching as effectively.”
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