Lightning's Cooper, Drouin resolved dispute over breakfast

Hash it out over hash browns.

Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper and previously embattled former lottery pick Jonathan Drouin used that - or another, inherently less appropriate variation of breakfast food - as a means to mend a relationship Drouin's agent had deemed "untenable."

Joe Smith of the Tampa Bay Times detailed the reconciliation process between player and coach, which began at breakfast in a Montreal hotel the morning of last year's final regular season game.

Jonathan Drouin, 21, joined coach Jon Cooper for a brutally honest, clear-the-air conversation. It might have been a turning point in their relationship and Drouin's tenure in Tampa Bay.

For maybe the first time, they reflected on the previous two years and how they had gotten to this point: Drouin, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2013 draft, had requested a trade in January and held out at home for six weeks, returning after he didn't get dealt at the deadline. Drouin had started his reclamation just two days earlier in a callup from AHL Syracuse.

Drouin said that at the breakfast, he and Cooper shared their sides of the story. They also shared some blame.

In itself, the candid conversation may not have saved the relationship and Drouin's career in Tampa Bay, but it cracked open a door that had been slammed shut when his agent requested a trade.

With renewed trust, Drouin was given the chance to fill the role vacated by injured star Steven Stamkos, and responded by shocking life into a stagnant Lightning offense. He recorded five goals and 14 points, helping lead the club to Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final versus the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Drouin rescinded his trade request almost immediately after the Lightning were eliminated.