Jon Cooper, former Gamblers head coach, Clark Cup winner, and current head coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning, coached his 700th NHL game in a 5-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks on Friday, April 1.
Cooper becomes the eighth active coach to reach the 700-game mark. His 426 wins is the most by any NHL coach through their first 700 games, a record previously held by Bruce Bourdreau with 419 wins in that span.
The rest of Cooper’s resume speaks for itself. During his 700 games, he led Tampa Bay in back-to-back Stanley Cup Championships, tied with Darryl Sutter for the most with two in a 700-game span. His .650 points percentage is the highest in Lightning history and sixth highest all-time among NHL coaches with a minimum of 100 games.
In his tenure with Green Bay, lasting from 2008-2010, he led the Gamblers to an 84-27-9 record in two seasons, including back-to-back seasons with the best record in the USHL. His second year also included a 2010 Clark Cup Championship, the third in franchise history and the first since 2000. This netted him 2010 USHL Coach of the Year honors, as well as winning USHL General Manager of the Year honors in both 2009 and 2010.
We want to congratulate Cooper on his success in the NHL so far and wish him the best for years to come.
For more information on Cooper and his record-setting run with the Tampa Bay Lightning, visit his coaching bio here.
