Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper has been appointed to lead Canada at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off and the 2026 Winter Olympics, Hockey Canada announced.
This marks Cooper’s return as Canada’s head coach since guiding the national men’s team to a silver medal at the 2017 World Hockey Championship. Hailing from Prince George, B.C., Cooper has led the Lightning to four Stanley Cup finals, securing back-to-back titles in 2020 and 2021. He recently completed his 12th season with Tampa Bay, making him the longest-serving active head coach in the NHL.
“Jon is a world-class person, coach, and leader. His impressive resume and success in the NHL make him the ideal choice to lead Team Canada over the next two years,” stated Canada general manager Doug Armstrong. “Our management team is confident that Jon will represent our country with pride, bringing his winning pedigree to the international stage. We look forward to collaborating with him to build teams featuring the best NHL players in Canada for these marquee events.”
Cooper also served as an assistant coach for Team North America at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. He was slated to coach Canada at the 2022 Beijing Games had NHL players been cleared to participate.
The 4 Nations Face-Off, featuring teams from Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the United States composed of NHL players, will debut next year from February 12-20 in Montreal and Boston.
The 2026 Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, will mark the return of NHL players to the Winter Games for the first time since the 2014 Sochi Games.