Jon Cooper named head coach for Canada’s 2025 4 Nations Face-Off, 2026 Olympic teams
Hockey Canada announced Tuesday that Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper will coach the Canadian Men’s National Team at both the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off and the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Italy.
Jon Cooper will lead 🇨🇦 as head coach at the 2025 #4Nations Face-Off and #MilanoCortina2026.
Jon Cooper dirigera le 🇨🇦 à la Confrontation des 4 nations 2025 de la @LNH_FR et aux Jeux olympiques d’hiver de 2026 à Milan et à Cortina d’Ampezzo.@NHL | @LNH_FR | @NHLPA
— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) June 25, 2024
Doug Armstrong, St. Louis Blues president of hockey operations and general manager, says Cooper’s success both on and off the ice were key factors in their decision.
“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 in a press release.
“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 is the longest-tenured active coach in the NHL, having been the Lightning bench boss since March 2013. During his 12 seasons with Tampa, Cooper has won the Stanley Cup twice and gone to the Stanley Cup Final four times.
Before joining the Lightning, Cooper spent two seasons with the AHL’s Norfolk Admirals, winning both the Calder Cup and AHL Coach of the Year in 2011-12.
Cooper’s previous international experience includes serving as an assistant coach with Team North America at the 2016 World Cup. He was also named the head coach of the 2022 Canadian Olympic Team if NHL players were allowed to participate.