Cooper praises Perry: 'One of my favorite players I have ever coached'
Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper heaped praise on veteran forward Corey Perry prior to Saturday's Game 3 against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
"He is an extension of the coaching staff all over the ice," he said, per Bally Sports Florida's Gabby Shirley. "His demeanor on the bench and the things he says throughout the game might be the best I've seen in 10 years. That is how good he is."
He added: "It's no coincidence that teams go to the final when he is on the team."
Perry has made three straight Stanley Cup Finals as a member of three different teams, losing out on the NHL's top prize with the Dallas Stars in 2020, the Montreal Canadiens in 2021, and the Lightning last season.
The 37-year-old has made the playoffs 15 times over 18 campaigns, winning the Stanley Cup in 2007 with the Anaheim Ducks.
The gifted agitator is the league's active leader in playoff games played (192) and penalty minutes (271), while his 53 postseason goals are tied with Nikita Kucherov and Patrick Kane for the fifth most.
But more than anything else, Cooper is most inspired by Perry's ability to adapt throughout his NHL tenure.
"He's a really impressive individual who has found a way to go from a Hart Trophy winner and, then, later in his career, find himself on winning teams everywhere he goes in support roles," Cooper said, according to Shirley.
"I don't think everybody can do that. It just goes to show, first of all, his love for the game, but his character and what it takes to stay in this game and how much he wants to be a part of winning. He is one of my favorite players I have ever coached."
Perry has scored in both games of the Bolts' first-round series against Toronto. He leads the team with four points while averaging 13:31 minutes of ice time per contest.
Perry has drawn plenty of heat from Maple Leafs fans, punctuated by a "Perry sucks!" chant during Game 2 on Thursday.
The “PERRY SUCKS” chants are pouring down inside Scotiabank Arena 🔊😳 pic.twitter.com/SGnejSUAME
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 21, 2023
Pierre-Edouard Bellemare admitted that he also wasn't always the biggest Perry fan before he joined the Lightning.
"I didn't like him before I came onto this team. ... He's the kind of guy that you don't want to play against, but you love to have him on your team," Bellemare said, per team reporter Chris Krenn.
Perry and the Lightning will square off against the Maple Leafs in Amalie Arena at 7 p.m. ET.