Jon Cooper may have one last major challenge ahead of him in the NHL

Vincent Larue
Jon Cooper may have one last major challenge ahead of him in the NHL
Credit: Julio Aguilar/Getty Images

Jon Cooper has accomplished just about everything with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

He's won two Stanley Cups—in 2020 and 2021—reached another final, won the Four Nations Tournament with Team Canada, and has long established himself as one of the most respected coaches in the NHL.

But might he eventually be tempted by a completely different challenge?

On the podcast “The Sheet,” Jeff Marek and Greg Wyshynski discussed a particularly intriguing scenario: the possibility of Cooper one day coaching the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Obviously, we're not talking about a short-term scenario here. The Leafs have just hired a new coach in Jim Hiller, and there's no indication that a change is being considered this season unless there's a disaster.

And there's certainly no truth to the rumor that Cooper is packing his bags for Toronto. Marek simply believes that the Lightning coach has the kind of mindset that could allow him to take on such a challenge.

Because coaching the Leafs is obviously not the same as coaching just any other team, given all the pressure surrounding the franchise.

It might not work out, either.

Mike Babcock, too, had given it a try. When he arrived in Toronto, he was considered one of the big names among NHL coaches. He had already won championships and arrived with the ambition of bringing the Leafs back to the top.

In the end, it didn't work out

That's precisely what makes the challenge so fascinating.

Marek believes it takes a coach who has already won and who is extremely confident in his abilities to come to Toronto believing he can succeed where so many others have failed.

Cooper fits that description pretty well.

Let's just say that after everything he's accomplished in Tampa Bay—and having just won the Jack Adams Award—he doesn't have much left to prove.

If he ever felt the urge to step out of his comfort zone, it would be hard to find a much bigger challenge than the one in Toronto.

Bringing the Stanley Cup back to the Leafs would be quite an addition to an already impressive resume.

Again, there's no indication that Cooper wants to leave the Lightning or that he secretly dreams of coaching the Leafs.

He's been in this position for 13 years now… but why not be tempted by a new challenge?


Quick Q&A

– Aww.

– What a season for the Alouettes.

– The Supra comes from behind.

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