Canada’s 2026 Olympic Team Should Be Coached by Jon Cooper

There are many reasons to like Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper. He perfectly balances a laid-back, approachable demeanor with a fierce competitiveness that demands the best from his players. Players love to play for him and the media love to talk with him. Watch any almost any interview with Cooper, and he is bound to make you smile, think deeply about hockey, and demonstrate his vast knowledge of and passion for the sport. Simply put, Jon Cooper is a likable guy whose popularity reaches across the league and beyond.

Cooper’s character was on full display during an interview with NHL Network on March 7 in which he discussed his charity event Coop’s Catch for Kids. The annual gathering unites kids from the Tampa Bay community, the Lightning roster, and other celebrities (this year Wayne Gretzky attended) for a day of fishing to raise funds for pediatric cancer research. Talking to the panel from his office and through a somewhat-shakily held phone camera, Cooper lit up talking about how fun and successful the event was this year. It is the side of the head coach everyone loves.

Kevin Weekes, toward the end of the interview (not so) slyly prompted Cooper to divulge any news about coaching Team Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. Cooper laughed and said he had not been asked yet. While Cooper’s personality alone is not the reason he should coach Team Canada, I could not help but watch that interview and realize he displayed all his qualifications for the position in about 15 minutes. Hockey Canada has already named Doug Armstrong general manager of the team, but there has been little discussion about who should lead from behind the bench. Cooper is the obvious choice.

Cooper’s Pedigree and Success at Every Level

During the 2014-15 season, Cooper’s second full season as head coach of the Lightning, he seemed destined to win the Stanley Cup. After all, he had won at every level as a head coach. In 2000, he led Lansing Catholic High School to the team’s first regional championship. Then, in 2003, he won the Silver Cup with the Metro Jets in the North American 3 Hockey League. By 2007, he had moved up to the North American Hockey League and won the championship with the St. Louis Bandits two seasons in a row (2007 and 2008).

Cooper made it to the United States Hockey League in 2008, and in two years he coached the Green Bay…