Jon Cooper on Battle of Florida, Kucherov for MVP, Torts

Contained in the Tampa Bay Lightning’s health club, there is a group photograph taken on the 2022 Stadium Sequence in Nashville. Each time coach Jon Cooper sees it, he marvels at how a lot can change within the span of two years.

“Of the 23 guys in that image, there are solely eight left. That is a giant turnover,” Cooper instructed ESPN’s “The Drop” podcast this week.

That roster turnover was just one problem the Lightning confronted this season. There have been accidents to goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, defenseman Mikhail Sergachev and others. There was the grind of the Japanese Convention playoff race, which noticed the Lightning in unfamiliar territory as a bubble group.

However the Lightning are in a playoff seed within the closing weeks of the season, heading into Saturday’s “Battle of Florida” showdown (6 p.m. ET, ESPN+/Hulu) in opposition to the Florida Panthers, their burgeoning rivals who’ve the very best file within the NHL this season.

We requested Cooper about that rivalry, the Lightning’s resilient season, Nikita Kucherov’s MVP case, in addition to whether or not Cooper desires to teach the Canadian Olympic group and whether or not he’d ever refuse to depart the bench like John Tortorella did after an ejection this week. Observe: Some solutions have been edited for readability.

The newest version of the Battle of Florida is that this weekend. You’ve got coached the Lightning since 2013 …

Cooper: March, 2013. So it is developing quickly on the anniversary date.

That was if you made the soar from Syracuse within the AHL. You had a bunch of gamers you coached there on the Lightning, like Nikita Kucherov, Tyler Johnson and Ondrej Palat. What have been they known as once more?

Cooper: “The Cooper Troopers.”

This have to be like studying about Maurice Richard to individuals who grew to become NHL followers in the previous few years.

Cooper: [Laughs] It in all probability does.

The purpose is that you just have been there to see this rivalry with the Panthers develop over time. How has it modified in your tenure?

Cooper: Nicely, to be sincere, we each in all probability weren’t superb at first. After which we made that shock run to the 2015 Stanley Cup Closing. Florida was, on the time, struggling to make the playoffs. So there was by no means actually sort of that budding rivalry early.

Then when [GM] Dale Tallon and [coach Joel] Quenneville got here in they usually restructured, and now with [GM] Invoice Zito and [coach] Paul Maurice, that group began to get good as we occurred to be on the peak. It has been a battle. And I am telling you, it is a lot enjoyable to play in opposition to these guys. We have met them a pair instances within the playoffs and thankfully for us we have come out on the precise finish.

I do not know the way this season’s gonna play out for anyone. They’ve had some little little bit of heartache in the previous few years within the playoffs they usually simply hold coming again and coming again. Sooner or later, they’re gonna be knocking proper on the door like they have been final yr.

It is humorous how that works. They’re down 3-1 in a playoffs collection and [Brad] Marchand had a breakaway [chance] to finish it. As an alternative, they only sneak via the President’s Trophy champs, and I do not suppose they’ve appeared again. They have not stalled in any respect. They are a well-constructed group, they have been via the battles. They have all these different groups to play, however they for certain circle us on the calendar, as can we.

The Lightning have gone via adversity this yr. First there was the damage to goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy…

Cooper: How previous is that?! Like, that appears like one other season in the past, nevertheless it was this particular season that he missed the primary 25 video games.

You overcame that, adjustments to the lineup from final season and different issues to be in a playoff spot. What was the important thing think about that success?

Cooper: I gotta give numerous credit score to our core gamers. One specifically is Nikita Kucherov, who for my cash has been the very best participant within the league. He is been the man that is carried us on each ends of the ice. There is a motive our energy performs is No. 1 within the league proper now — a giant half is due to him.

Yearly’s totally different. They’re so onerous to elucidate. The years you do not make the playoffs, the years you win Stanley Cups, you are simply confronted with so many challenges.

He led our final Awards Watch, however state your case for Nikita Kucherov as MVP.

Cooper: That is what I might ask. For those who took the highest 5 to 10 gamers within the league, and in the event that they have been to flip on the TV and all 32 groups are enjoying, and you bought to flip in a recreation and watch one group play, my cash can be on the Tampa Bay Lightning. To not see Jon Cooper coach — sadly — however to see Nikita Kucherov play.

I believe he garners immense respect from everyone within the league and numerous the very best gamers. I believe that is your largest praise and why I believe he ought to win MVP.

What did you make of him on the NHL All-Star weekend, with the talents competitors factor?

Cooper: All I do know is that when he performed within the recreation, he performed onerous and tried to assist his group win. The talents competitors is about displaying off talent, however in the long run, it is rather a lot about fan participation. And if anyone made the followers take part, it was undoubtedly Kuch [laughs].

Glorious level. We talked about the playoffs, we talked about accidents. What are the possibilities that Mikhail Sergachev might come again for you within the postseason?

Cooper: I do not wanna say by no means isn’t, nevertheless it’s a major damage. That was a troublesome night time on the Backyard. It is enjoyable to see him strolling round and stuff, however for him to get again into recreation form, I would not count on to see him till coaching camp subsequent yr, sadly for us.

A few teaching questions for you. Have you ever ever thought-about pulling your goaltender in additional time like Wild coach John Hynes did the opposite night time in opposition to the Predators?

Cooper: Sure. You are at all times ready for various conditions. However I do not know if folks understood the draw back of doing that.

I imply, it does look like there’s an upside and there undoubtedly was — hell of a name by Hynes to try this. However the factors are so invaluable on this league. We’re not like soccer the place you get three factors for a win and 0 for a loss. So there’s these huge gaps, like each level is efficacious. To have that potential capability to lose some extent, that is what makes it onerous to drag the goalie in additional time. So it has been thought-about, however I simply haven’t executed it. I’ve not executed it but.

We’re solely like soccer by way of embellishment and diving.

Cooper: Some guys, sure. Most guys, no.

However I assumed it was an amazing name. Puck went within the web, so it was tremendous cool. They want factors they usually cannot accept “ones.” They took a swing at it they usually hit it and good for Hynesy. It was a hell of a name.

The opposite teaching factor I needed to ask you: You’re clearly well mannered with the referees. By no means an issue with them. All your communication with the zebras is at all times very optimistic…

Cooper: Alright, I see the place that is going.

However for those who have been ever kicked out of the sport, did you ever think about not leaving like John Tortorella did not depart the opposite night time?

Cooper: I used to be the opposing coach when that occurred to Torts this week. It is onerous to look at since you do not see what is going on on. So I had no thought. Actually, I had no thought Torts bought kicked out. I assumed he simply bought two minutes. I did not get to see something that had occurred prior till after the sport.

The irony of it was that the identical ref that ejected Torts ejected me in that very same area a pair years in the past. It was the one time I have been ejected in league. And truthfully, after I bought ejected, I did not know immediately that I used to be kicked out. I had to take a look at my assistant. I used to be like, “Did he throw me out?”

There’s just a little little bit of embarrassment behind it. I am like, “Oh my God, thank goodness it wasn’t an area the place I needed to stroll the ice to depart [laughs].” Like, not less than I might simply tuck in behind the bench and get off.

I suppose [not leaving] would rely on the circumstance. If I needed to leg it out just a little bit longer and get my level heard. However when it occurred to me, I left with my tail between my legs.

So you were not attempting to be like a baseball supervisor and, like, bump the umpire to get your group going?

Cooper: Let me say this. It was really an identical circumstance as a result of we have been behind within the recreation. There’s belongings you do … like, I do know there’s instances I do a goalie problem after I know I am shedding it. I am doing it to have my goalie’s again and to offer him an opportunity, realizing full effectively on the bench and saying, “We’re gonna lose this, boys, and we’re gonna need to kill this penalty off.”

Within the playoffs in opposition to Columbus in Sport 5 [in 2020], we have been down by two objectives within the third interval. I challenged their objective for goalie interference. There’s 10 minutes left within the recreation. We killed it off after which we ended up coming again and successful that recreation and successful the collection. Now, I am not saying it was due to that, however there are occasions coaches do issues to hopefully assist the psychological recreation with a number of the guys.

As for me getting kicked out? You attempt to encourage your group a bit. However we nonetheless misplaced the sport.

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Flyers coach refuses to depart bench after ejection

Flyers coach John Tortorella briefly refuses to depart his group’s bench after receiving recreation misconduct and bench minor penalties.

What’s that behind you? A Staff Canada jersey?

Cooper: That was world championships in 2017. And we went to a shootout within the closing and misplaced within the shootout to my boy Victor Hedman and Henrik Lundqvist.

Occurs to the very best of us.

Cooper: We bought to the shootout and I used to be like, “Oh, this could possibly be powerful.”

We have the 4 Nations match subsequent yr and the Olympics in 2026. You have been set to teach Staff Canada in Beijing earlier than COVID ruined all the pieces. Do you need to coach Staff Canada at both of those occasions?

Cooper: [Laughs] Anytime you will have a chance to teach Staff Canada, I am first in line to lift my hand, as with each coach that is a proud Canadian.

It was a stinger not with the ability to go in in in 2022 as a result of it is a lot enjoyable. Worldwide tournaments are nice. You are getting to teach, like, the very best gamers.

I keep in mind again with Staff North America [in the 2016 World Cup of Hockey] and simply watching all the very best gamers within the league get collectively and play in a match. The Olympics are absolutely a unique animal, nevertheless it’s at all times cool that I can sit again and say, “Hey, you recognize, I had Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon.” You simply go down the listing.

So doing these worldwide occasions is a lot enjoyable, nevertheless it makes you proud as a Canadian to have that chance. Who is aware of what’s gonna occur shifting ahead? However I do know whoever it’s going to do a heck of a job for us.