OTTAWA — Jon Cooper is rarely at a loss for words.
The outgoing, loquacious coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning answers most questions from reporters with a level of depth and honesty that exceeds his peers. And inside an empty room across the hallway from the visiting coach’s office at Canadian Tire Centre, Cooper was in his usual, talkative mood.
Sitting on a stool and reflecting on the evolution of his team over the past decade, Cooper smoothly laid out the progression of the Lightning.
“I’ve watched us go from the new kids on the block to the kids that couldn’t get it done to the kids that can’t be stopped,” Cooper said.
But when asked what label he would affix to the current edition of the Lightning, Cooper was suddenly at a loss for words.
“That’s a good question,” he said.
As he was contemplating his answer, Cooper pulled up a second chair and stretched out his legs onto it. He took nearly 10 seconds to formulate a response before finally saying, “Maybe now, we’re the kids that don’t want anybody to forget about them.”
To many observers, the Lightning are an afterthought, a collection of older, Hall of Fame-bound superstars who are slowly starting their descent from their perch atop the league. When you hear a list of elite teams and Stanley Cup contenders, the Lightning — who used to lead this conversation 12 months ago — are often omitted. Last season’s first-round playoff exit at the hands of the Toronto Maple Leafs has managed to overshadow the three consecutive trips to the Stanley Cup Final that preceded it.
And Cooper believes he and his players can use that as motivation.
“When people think of us as afterthoughts, there is a little ‘F you’ in the guys to say: ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa. We’re still relevant,’” Cooper said. “So yes, for sure, it’s useful.”
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