Cooper to coach Canada at 4 Nations Face-Off, Olympics

Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper will lead Team Canada at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off and the 2026 Olympics in Italy, Hockey Canada announced Tuesday.

A management team featuring Doug Armstrong of the St. Louis Blues, Jim Nill of the Dallas Stars, and Don Sweeney of the Boston Bruins selected Cooper for the national team head coaching position.

"Jon is a world-class person, coach, and leader, and his impressive resume and success in the NHL make him the perfect person to lead Team Canada over the next two years at the 4 Nations Face-Off and 2026 Olympic Winter Games," Armstrong said.

"Our management group knows that Jon will represent our country with pride while bringing his winning pedigree to the international stage, and we look forward to working with him as we build teams with the best NHL players in Canada at two marquee events."

Cooper has coached the Bolts for the past 12 seasons, making him the longest-tenured coach in the NHL. He's guided Tampa Bay to 10 playoff appearances, a Presidents' Trophy, four Eastern Conference championships, and two Stanley Cups.

The 56-year-old served as an assistant coach with Team North America at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. Cooper was also named Canada's bench boss for the 2022 Olympics in Beijing before the NHL pulled out of the Games due to the pandemic.

The 4 Nations Face-Off will be played in February 2025 and feature Canada, the United States, Sweden, and Finland. The first six players for each team will be announced later in June.

The NHL agreed to send its players to the 2026 Olympics after missing out on the past two tournaments.

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