(Calgary) Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper will lead Team Canada to the 2025 Four Nations Showdown and the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympic Games tournament, Hockey Canada announced Tuesday.
This will be Cooper’s first stint behind Canada’s bench since leading the men’s national hockey team to a silver medal at the 2017 World Championship.
Cooper, who is from Prince George, British Columbia, has led the Lightning to four Stanley Cup Final Series appearances, hoisting the prized trophy in 2020 and 2021.
He has just completed his 12th campaign at the helm of the Lightning, and he is the longest-serving head coach among those active in the Bettman circuit.
“Jon is an extraordinary person, coach and leader, and his impressive track record and success in the NHL make him the ideal person to lead Team Canada over the next two years,” Team Canada general manager Doug Armstrong said in a statement.
“Our leadership group knows that Jon will represent our country with pride, while bringing his unique experience on the international stage. We look forward to working with him as we develop teams comprised of the best NHL players in Canada at two prestigious events. »
The Four Nations Showdown, a tournament that brings together the best NHL players from Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States, will be presented for the first time next year. It will take place in Montreal and Boston, from February 12 to 20, 2025.
The men’s hockey tournament at the Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, will admit NHL players for the first time since the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia.
Hockey Canada said the first six players to represent the country at the Four Nations will be named later this week, while the Canadian roster for the Olympic tournament will be revealed at a later date.