Lightning's Cooper devastated by NHL's withdrawal from Olympics
Count Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper among those still not over the NHL and NHLPA's decision to forgo participation in the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
The 54-year-old was slated to be behind the bench for Team Canada, but the NHL officially withdrew from participation over COVID-19 concerns.
"To be honest, it was devastating," Cooper told The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun.
"I would be remiss if I didn’t use such a strong word," he continued. "I look at the sport of hockey, the country of Canada, and the marriage the two have and the passion the country has for it. The thrill of being named to that position. It didn’t sit lightly with me.
"I was genuinely humbled and honored to have that opportunity. And then to have it swept out from under you, it … it just leaves you empty."
Cooper would've been the fourth head coach of an NHL-led Canadian Olympic hockey roster after Marc Crawford (1998), Pat Quinn (2002, 2006), and Mike Babcock (2010, 2014).
The two-time Stanley Cup champion had already begun building relationships with potential team members, too.
"Opening night, we’re playing Pittsburgh, Sidney Crosby sitting in my office," Cooper recalled. "And we’re just talking hockey and Olympics and how things are going to go. We must have just sat there 45 minutes, just the two of us."
Cooper said he met with others on the prospective player list, including Cale Makar, Drew Doughty, and Tom Wilson.
The NHL aims to participate in the 2026 Olympics, which would mark a 12-year gap from the league's last appearance.
"Who knows where anybody is going to be in four years," Cooper said.
It's possible the NHL could schedule another World Cup of Hockey to satisfy the widespread appetite for a best-on-best international tournament. Cooper, who was an assistant coach on Team North America in 2016, admitted that the tournament was a bit of a "gimmick," and that it doesn't compare to the Olympics.
"It's the Olympic experience, it's being in the village, it is getting to wear your country's colors with pride. It’s being able to go to other athletes' events and cheering them on," Cooper said. "It’s being able to go in the cafeteria and having the bobsledder come up to Sidney Crosby and ask for an autograph. And for Sidney Crosby to ask for an autograph back from that person.
"That’s the bond that the Olympics bring to you," Cooper added. "I feel bad for the players because they’re going to miss out on that. Being part of the Olympic spirit, that’s what it’s all about."