Tampa Bay Lightning bench boss Jon Cooper was selected to coach two marquee events for the Canadian men's team, having previously coached them at the 2017 worlds.
Jon CooperHockey Canada has chosen Jon Cooper to coach the national men's teams for the 4 Nations Face-Off and 2026 Olympics.
Cooper will return to coaching the national team for the first time since earning silver at the 2017 men's World Championship. He was also an assistant coach for Team North America at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey and for USA's U-18 men's team at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in 2007.
The 56-year-old is the longest-tenured active coach in the NHL, leading the Tampa Bay Lightning since 2013. He received the jobs from Doug Armstrong, management lead for Team Canada and GM at the 2026 Olympics, as well as Doug Sweeney and Jim Nill on the 4 Nations Face-Off management group.
“Jon is a world-class person, coach and leader, and his impressive resume and success in the NHL make him the perfect person to lead Team Canada over the next two years at the 4 Nations Face-Off and 2026 Olympic Winter Games,” Armstrong said in a news release. “Our management group knows that Jon will represent our country with pride while bringing his winning pedigree to the international stage, and we look forward to working with him as we build teams with the best NHL players in Canada at two marquee events.”
Cooper rankings ninth in NHL history for most games coached with one franchise, with 879 across 12 seasons with Tampa Bay. Of those regular-season contests, his 525 wins are the 27th-most all-time, and he has 279 losses and 75 overtime losses.
Cooper also helped the Lightning to back-to-back Stanley Cup wins in the 2020 bubble and in 2021, both campaigns being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. He's also led them to Cup final appearances in 2015 and 2022, a Presidents' Trophy in 2018-19 and 10 playoff appearances.
The first six players for Canada's 4 Nations Face-Off squad will be revealed on June 28. While it will be an ultra-competitive roster for players to make, Cooper has been a longtime coach of Canadians Brayden Point and Lightning captain Steven Stamkos, who ranked second and third on the team in scoring this season, respectively.
The 4 Nations Face-Off is scheduled for Feb. 12 to 20 at the Bell Centre in Montreal and TD Garden in Boston, featuring NHL players from Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States. The 2026 Winter Olympics is scheduled for Feb. 6 to 22, 2026, in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo.
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