The hockey world went into second gear today with the announcement by B/R Open Ice in a Tweet to the effect that Jon Cooper, the longest-serving NHL coach with the Tampa Bay Lightning, might be connected with the Utah Club. Yup, you read it right-Utah. The tweet referenced an article by Larry Brooks in the New York Post and while reactions did range from mad to horrible.
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For starters, Cooper is under contract with Tampa until the end of the 2025/26 season, and he has laid the foundation for a dynasty with back-to-back Stanley Cup victories. So what reason would he have to take his talents to a team that does not exist yet? That is actually one question most people have been asking. Chris Tozzi immediately put it up there, ‘Why would Cooper do that?’ That is a fair question, with all due respect.
Andrew Bobeck Jr. took a much more respectful perspective and was knocking on wood when he said Cooper ‘would very much make some serious bank no matter what team offers it to him’ at the end of that contract. Remains true, yet…he’s in Tampa. A money win contender. So unless Utah’s out there with a Brinks truck backing into Cooper’s driveway, this seems unlikely.
Bryan had it worse: ‘According to “insert super unreliable source here” a team that has been a model organization in the NHL might let a top 3 coach in the league out of his contract so he can move from Tampa Bay to Utah. Totally, I buy it.’ A burn. A burn with consideration. Nothing to see here, right?
Some were not just skeptical, some were really dismissive: ‘Fake news,’ was the statement from one Tampa fan. Another one called Brooks ‘not trustable,’ which is not entirely unfair since Brooks is known for sometimes truly wild takes. Tyler Cleary brought it even more saying, ‘pretty much never right even about the Rangers,’ which actually is the team he covers. Ouch.
In the meantime, Away Team tried to sort the reasoning out, noting Utah already has a solid bench boss in André Tourigny, and Cooper is busy ‘coaching up an aging, oft-injured team with AHL role players.’ So like, why would…or for what would interest either side? Exactly.
What’s even funnier must have been the chaos reigning in the comments. Someone just went ahead and said, ‘LOL’-and honestly, mood. In the middle of the feud, one person called somebody else’s username ‘on point’, and there was a guy who just went ahead posting ‘owned’-so NSFW.
In the end, it just feels like one of these summer rumors: A toss-up story here and there for fun; nothing nasty about it, just summer fun. Cooper’s not going anywhere; Tampa wouldn’t just let him walk; and Utah isn’t a team yet. But hey, it got some chatter going, so there’s that, huh?
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So, unless like a huge cosmic accident happens, it’s all but certain Cooper will be staying put. And, if he does somehow end up in Utah…Bryan is owed one massive apology.