Current:Home > ContactLightning coach Jon Cooper apologizes for 'skirts' comment after loss to Panthers -DollarDynamic
Lightning coach Jon Cooper apologizes for 'skirts' comment after loss to Panthers
View
Date:2025-04-16 18:35:24
Tampa Bay Lightning coach Jon Cooper was much more subdued when he met with reporters on Wednesday than he was in the aftermath of a season-ending 6-1 loss to the Florida Panthers in the opening round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
And his first order of business was to apologize for his postgame comments in which he suggested that the league "might as well put skirts on" goaltenders after a pair of interference penalties nullified Lightning goals in the first and second periods.
"Quite frankly, it was wrong," Cooper said of his comments, which were part of a four-minute diatribe after the game. "It's pained me more than the actual series loss."
With the Lightning facing elimination in Game 5, the first overturned call erased what would have been a 1-0 Tampa Bay lead.
Cooper called it a "turning point" in the game, though he later refused to blame the officials for the loss. However, he didn't hold back in his criticism after his team was eliminated.
All things Lightning: Latest Tampa Bay Lightning news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.
"It’s like prison rules in the playoffs," Cooper said during his postgame rant, "but it’s not prison rules for the goalie the second something happens? We might as well put skirts on them then if that’s how it’s going to be."
Cooper said Wednesday he wished he could take that comment back, especially when he had to go home and explain what he said to his daughters.
With the Lightning eliminated, the top-seeded Panthers advance to play the winner of the series between Boston and Toronto in the Eastern Conference's second round. The Bruins lead the series 3-2 with Game 6 set for Thursday night in Boston.
veryGood! (69574)
Related
- Could your smelly farts help science?
- Is Mercury in retrograde right now? Here's what the planetary shift means for you.
- An Indiana man gets 14 months after guilty plea to threatening a Michigan election official in 2020
- Wimbledon 2024 bracket: Latest scores, results for tournament
- Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie return for an 'Encore,' reminisce about 'The Simple Life'
- Philadelphia won’t seek death penalty in Temple U. officer’s death. Colleagues and family are upset
- Cavers exploring in western Virginia rescue ‘miracle’ dog found 40 to 50 feet down in cave
- How many points did Caitlin Clark score? Fever rookie tallies double-double vs. Mystics
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- Watch this wife tap out her Air Force husband with a heartfelt embrace
Ranking
- Senate begins final push to expand Social Security benefits for millions of people
- Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s security detail shoots man during attempted carjacking, authorities say
- FTC says prescription middlemen are squeezing Main Street pharmacies
- Beryl live updates: Heat drives Texans to sleep in cars amid outages while the North floods
- Apple iOS 18.2: What to know about top features, including Genmoji, AI updates
- Colorado got $2.5 million signing bonus to join Big 12; other new members didn't. Why?
- Relive Every Sweet Moment of Alexis Bellino and John Janssen's Whirlwind Romance
- England vs. Netherlands: What to know, how to watch UEFA Euro 2024 semifinal
Recommendation
B.A. Parker is learning the banjo
UEFA Euro 2024 bracket: England vs. Spain in Sunday's final
FAA investigating after video shows jetliner aborting landing on same runway as departing plane
Judge says Rudy Giuliani bankruptcy case likely to be dismissed. But his debts aren’t going away
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
Arkansas election officials reject petitions submitted for an abortion-rights ballot measure
Rory McIlroy says US Open meltdown hurt but was 'not the toughest' loss he's experienced
You'll L.O.V.E Ashlee Simpson's Family Vacation Photos With Evan Ross and Their Kids