Lightning’s Jon Cooper coaches 1,000th NHL game

He is now the 32nd coach in NHL history to reach the 1,000-game mark.

Ahead of Wednesday’s game against the Ducks, the Lightning are 22-13-3 with 47 points through 38 games in 2025-26. They are third in the Atlantic Division and fifth in the Eastern Conference. They will continue their three-game California road trip Thursday when they take on the Los Angeles Kings, followed by a Saturday afternoon matchup against the San Jose Sharks.

TSN hockey insider Pierre LeBrun reported in October that Cooper and Tampa agreed to a contract extension, but terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Cooper – now in his 14th season with the Lightning – had a 594-319-86 record in the previous 999 regular-season games he coached. Since taking over during the 2012-13 season, the Lightning have made the playoffs 11 times, including six Conference Final appearances, four Stanley Cup Final appearances and two championships in 2020 and 2021. 

Cooper, 58, has been a Jack Adams Award finalist twice (2013-14 and 2018-19). He led Tampa to a Presidents’ Trophy in 2018-19, going 62-16-4 with 128 points, tied for the second-most wins and the fifth-most points in a single season. 

Internationally, Cooper was head coach for Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off, winning the tournament. He will serve as bench boss for Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. He was named coach for the 2022 Winter Olympics, but the NHL did not participate due to the COVID-19 pandemic.