Jon Cooper given a penalty for hitting a referee during tonight's game
You don't see this very often, Tampa Bay Lighting head coach Jon Cooper was just given a penalty for hitting a referee.
Jon Cooper has always been an emotional Head Coach. It's that reason that so many players love to play for him. Cooper is always willing to go to bat for his team and his players whenever necessary. Tonight. However, it appears he has crossed the line.
During tonight's game against the Boston Bruins, the Lightning head coach let his temper get the best of him. After the Bruins made the game 3-1 in the first period, Cooper absolutely lost it. While speaking to both referees Cooper grew extremely animated, flailing his arms and screaming at the top of his lungs.
That is when Cooper's arm struck the arm of the referee and that was all the referee needed to see. The referee immediately called the penalty and penalized the Lightning for their head coach's actions.
Jon Cooper was just given a bench minor after the Bruins made it 3-1 😳 pic.twitter.com/Ocq8oA5iWO� B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) January 7, 2024
Cooper is extremely lucky he wasn't ejected from the game and instead just received the 2 minute minor penalty. It's hard to believe the NHL won't review this and could look at giving a significant fine to the head coach.
| POLL | ||
Should Jon Cooper have been ejected? | ||
| Yes, he absolutely should have been | 260 | 57.1 % |
| No, a minor is fine | 141 | 31 % |
| If a player does this it's 20 games | 54 | 11.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
