Tampa Bay Lightning’s Jon Cooper signs 3-year contract extension
TAMPA, FL - JULY 7: Head Coach Jon Cooper of the Tampa Bay Lightning hoists the Stanley Cup overhead after the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Montreal Canadiens in Game Five to win the best of seven game series 4-1 during the Stanley Cup Final of t
TAMPA, Fla. - After a back-to-back championship, the Tampa Bay Lightning’s head coach will be sticking around a lot longer.
On Monday morning, the team said they signed Jon Cooper to a three-year contract extension through the 2024-25 season.
"Unequivocally, Coop is the best person for the job," Julien BriseBois, the general manager, said in a statement. "He is a great leader, spokesperson and ambassador for our organization. We are lucky to have him as our head coach and I very much look forward to our continued partnership."
Cooper was named the Bolts’ ninth head coach in franchise history back in March 2013. He is now the NHL’s longest-tenured bench boss. He made his coaching debut inside Amalie Arena within the same month with a 5-4 victory against the New Jersey Devils.
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The announcement comes one day before the team’s first regular-season game. The Lightning are set to face-off against the Pittsburgh Penguins at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday.
But first, they will raise their third Stanley Cup banner for their second-consecutive Stanley Cup Championship after defeating the Montreal Canadiens over the summer.