? ? ?The Norfolk Admirals defeated the Toronto Marlies in the best-of-seven Calder Cup finals four games to zero. ?On June 9, 2012, Jon Cooper and his team were crowned the best of the American Hockey League. ?With little time to savor their winnings, the off-season began, and the Admirals parent club, the Tampa Bay Lightning, relocated thier affilate to Syracuse, New York. ?"We didn't get to enjoy winning the championship as much as maybe we could have", Cooper said. ?" Once we were together in Syracuse in training camp, it was great to sit back, and soak it all in, with all the stories being told".
? ? ?By all accounts, statistical and personal, 2011-2012 was a magical season for Coach Jon Cooper. ?Three months after raising the Calder Cup in Toronto, Cooper was excited to see the guys again. ?"You don't want to forget what you've done, you want to build on it. ?We have set a culture for winning here in Syracuse", Cooper tells during our telephone chat last week.
? ? ?Landing in Central New York for this, the 77th season of the AHL, ?Cooper's story begins in Hempstead, Long Island, while attending Hofstra University. ?While at Hofstra, Cooper played four seasons of Division I lacrosse and one season for the school's hockey club ,while earning a bachelor's degree in business administration. ?Being a hockey fan and with the Nassau Coliseum a short distance from campus, is wasn't any surprise to find Cooper at New York Islanders games. ?During Jon's sophomore year, he remembers being at Islanders games 'all the time'. ?Jon had a connection for free tickets. ?Brad Lauer, last season an assistant coach for the Crunch and currently with the Anaheim Ducks in the same capacity, played parts of ?six seasons with the Islanders. ?Jon and Brad attended high school together. ?
? ? ?After graduation on the Island, Jon was looking for a bigger forum for his future. ?The future AHL coach of the year went on to earn his law degree in Michigan. ?Upon becoming a lawyer, a gradual change became noticeable. ?"Hockey was always in my blood", says Cooper. ?It was when he was working at district court in Lansing with Judge Brennan that Cooper's first coaching offer was presented. ?Jon linked up with a school team that was struggling. ?He worked with the kids during practice, scrimmages, and games. ?As educational the assignment was, Cooper knew that he didn't want to stay at that level in coaching. ?
? ? ?It was when helping out with a Junior-A team, the coaching bug bit Jon hard. ?A non-paying job, Cooper had success behind the bench. ?He had also made a professional move, going into a law practice with a buddy. ?Recalling spending 50 hours weekly ?as a lawyer, and coaching more hours, Jon's winning attracted attention. ?At the time, in his mid-30's, Jon came to the realization that if he were going to make a move to coaching, that was the time. ?The St. Louis Bandits of the NAHL ( North American Hockey League ) in 2006-2007 featured two future Utica College Pioneers on ice. ? Russell Anderson and Mike Leone were tutored ?by Cooper. ?"Mike ( Leone ) was somewhat of a black sheep, when he first came to me", Cooper said. ?"He ( Leone ) was a young, okay player, and when he left, Mike turned out to be one of the best players I have ever coached".
? ? ?Jon remembers Leone as a kid who had many hurdles in life ?and over came them. ?
? ? ?Fast forward to mid-2010, when Tampa Bay came calling. ?After finishing his second season with Green Bay in the USHL ( United States Hockey League ), Jon tells of experiencing two very memorable moments of his hockey career. ?He was flown to Tampa for an interview with Lightning General Manager Steve Yzerman. ?There was a coaching vacancy with Tampa's AHL affiliate in Norfolk. ?After an agent was able to get Jon a ' foot in the door', Jon walked into the Tampa Bay Times Forum for a morning meeting with NHL ?great Yzerman. ?"There's a sign on the door that I'm staring at, Steve Yzerman. ?I'm sitting there by myself. ?Then Steve comes out of his office, calls me by my name, and invites me in", Cooper tells. ?" He ( Yzerman ) was very gracious during our 2 - 3 hour meeting".
? ? ?Jon thinks back about his first one-on-one with Yzerman and remembers that it took about 10 minutes during their conversation to relax. ?"Steve doesn't have an ounce of arrogance in him. ?I've been fortunate that I've never needed a job in hockey. ?Tampa Bay has always treated me as a partner", Jon states. ?When Jon received an offer from the Lightning in 2010-2011 to cooach the Admirals, that was his second ?'holy cow' moment of jubilation. ?And since, the awards and accolades continue coming in a steady stream.
? ? ?Coaching success seems to come way to easy for Jon Cooper. ?All eyes continue to fixate on his educating the NHL stars of tomorrow. ?Enjoy Jon Cooper's work locally, while you can, because his track record says he's due for a move, onward and upward, in the near future.
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