Tampa Bay Lightning: 50 Greatest Moments In Franchise History

Nov 1, 2015; Raleigh, NC, USA; Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper looks on from the bench against the Carolina Hurricanes during the 1st period at PNC Arena. The Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 4-3. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

8. Jon Cooper Becomes The Eighth Coach In Franchise History

Date: March 25, 2013

The Tampa Bay Lightning has undergone a lot of changes over the course of its 23 years as a member of the National Hockey League. Each season, whether they like it or not, some players find themselves in search of a new home. The same can be said for coaches.

The life and death of a coach in the National Hockey League is almost solely determined by their team’s success on the ice. If a team continues to win and put forth a valiant effort towards achieving their goals, then a coach could have a very long tenure with a team.

At the same time, if a team becomes stagnant and loses their ability to get the job done in one or more aspects of the game, a coach may find themselves looking for a new home as well. As we said, it all depends on how the coach’s leadership translates to the team’s on-ice performance.

In the 2010-11 National Hockey League season, the Tampa Bay Lightning put on one of the best performances since capturing the Stanley Cup in the 2003-04 season. Having gone 46-25-11 in the regular season, the Tampa Bay Lightning found themselves within one game of becoming the 2011 Eastern Conference Champions and playing for the Stanley Cup.

Unfortunately, the next two seasons would only go downhill. The Tampa Bay Lightning’s struggles on the ice became too much for Tampa Bay Lightning Vice President and General Manager Steve Yzerman to handle, and on March 24, 2013 Yzerman elected to fire Tampa Bay Lightning Head Coach Guy Boucher and quickly locate a new coach who could take the reins and help the Lightning finish out what turned into a dismal season.

In all honesty, if you need someone who can step in rather quickly, you are going to need someone who not only has the skills necessary to lead their team to greatness, but someone who already knows the system and the players. What better place to find said person than your own backyard. Keeping this in mind, on March 25, 2013 Yzerman named Jon Cooper as the eighth Head Coach in Tampa Bay Lightning history.

As most of you know by now, Jon Cooper was currently serving as the Head Coach of the Tampa Bay Lightning’s American Hockey League affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch. It made perfect sense to bring Cooper on as the new Head Coach. Not only did he already have a relationship built with many of the young Lightning players who had been called up to the main roster that season, but he had found success at every level he’s coached at. You simply cannot argue with results.

Jon Cooper has done a fantastic job coaching the Tampa Bay Lightning since he took over the team. The Tampa Bay Lightning has made it to the post season in the last two seasons of play. Last season, the Lightning battled against (and defeated) the New York Rangers to become the Eastern Conference Champions and battle the Chicago Blackhawks for the Stanley Cup.

This season, the Bolts have seen their fair share of issues. Unfortunately, having eight forwards on the injured list is not helping things any. On the bright side, if there is any coach in the National Hockey League that can manufacture a way to get the Tampa Bay Lightning back in the game, it is most certainly Jon Cooper.

Next: Steve Yzerman Comes To Town