Cooper, 56, has been a fixture of the Lightning’s decade-long success that includes six trips to the Eastern Conference final, four Stanley Cup final appearances (including three straight) and back-to-back championships in 2020 and ‘21. In his 11 full seasons as head coach, the Lightning have missed the postseason only once.

Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper apologized Wednesday for comments he made Monday after the Lightning's playoff elimination that were widely condemned as misogynistic.

Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper opened his end-of-season news conference Wednesday apologizing for making what he called an inappropriate analogy of putting skirts on goalies. Cooper after the Game 5 loss that eliminated his team from the playoffs on Monday night vented about two questionable goaltender interference rulings that contributed to Florida’s 6-1 win.