Coach Jon Cooper to miss 2 games after death of father

TAMPA — The Tampa Bay Lightning are back in action Wednesday night after a break for the Olympics, but they will be without their head coach.

The team said Jon Cooper will not be behind the bench because of the death of his father.

He will miss tonight’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, along with Thursday night’s game at the Carolina Hurricanes.

Cooper is in his 14th season as the Lightning’s coach, with 11 playoff appearances and two Stanley Cup titles.

During the Olympics, he coached Canada’s men’s hockey team to a silver medal, losing to the U.S. in overtime in Sunday’s gold medal contest.

Tonight’s game starts at 7:30 p.m.