Jon Cooper steps away for 2 games as Lightning sit 37-14-4 in Atlantic race
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Daniel Lucente
Feb 25, 2026 (10:55)
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Photo credit: James Lang-Imagn Images
Jon Cooper will miss two games, and the Tampa Bay Lightning feel the loss with him after his father's passing.
The team announced Cooper will not be behind the bench Wednesday or Thursday, right in the middle of a tight stretch.
This is bigger than hockey.
Tampa Bay has leaned on Cooper's steadiness for years, and moments like this show why his voice matters beyond systems.
Players can talk about "next man up," but grief does not work that way.
The Lightning come into Wednesday's game at 37-14-4, and they have been one of the league's most consistent teams.
They will have to find emotion without getting loose defensively.
Nikita Kucherov drives everything on the top line with 29-62-91, and the offense still runs through his touches.
Between the pipes, Andrei Vasilevskiy has delivered a 27-7-3 record with a 2.08 goals against average and a .920 save percentage.
Jon Cooper and Tampa Bay Lightning get punched in the heart
Lightning fans are not thinking about matchups first today, they are thinking about the man.
Cooper also just carried Team Canada through the 2026 Olympics and came home with silver after an overtime loss to the United States.
That tournament was pressure every night, and he still looked like himself on the bench.
Now it is a different kind of pressure, and it is personal.
On the ice, Tampa's best tribute is simple hockey, clean breakouts, hard backchecks, and no cheating for offense.
The room will miss the familiar calm when things get chaotic.
Thursday's road game in Carolina could feel even heavier, because travel makes everything harder in moments like this.
For now, the only thing that matters is giving Cooper space, and making sure he knows the whole sport is with him.
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| POLL | ||
FEVRIER 25|64 ANSWERS Jon Cooper steps away for 2 games as Lightning sit 37-14-4 in Atlantic race Will the Tampa Bay Lightning play with extra edge for Jon Cooper this week? | ||
| Yes | 41 | 64.1 % |
| No | 23 | 35.9 % |
| List of polls | ||