It was another season of personal highs and lows for Cooper; he got his 600th NHL win on Jan. 12, becoming the second-fastest coach in League history to accomplish the feat. The Lightning won 6-5 against the Boston Bruins in the Navy Federal Credit Union NHL Stadium Series game at Raymond James Stadium on Feb. 1, but lost 2-1 in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference First Round at home to the Montreal Canadiens on May 3.
In between, he coached Team Canada in the 2026 Winter Olympics, winning a silver medal, and also dealt with the death of his father, Robert.
“You look back and you would’ve loved to spread all that stuff out over years instead of what happened in the last eight months,” Cooper said. “My mom and dad are no longer with us anymore, so they didn’t get the opportunity to see this event, but they’re definitely with me right now.”
It was the third time Cooper was a finalist for the Jack Adams Award. He guided the Lightning to the Stanley Cup in back-to-back seasons (2020, 2021).
“There’s no secret sauce,” Cooper said. “We’ve got a group and we’ve got a plan and we ultimately believe in bringing in good people. Are we perfect, any of us? No, but we have a foundation, a belief and a standard in how things have to be run.”