J.C. Newman Celebrates Tampa Bay Lightning’s Jon Cooper

1,000 Custom Cigars Commemorate Cooper’s 1,000th Game as Head Coach

Last night, the Tampa Bay Lightning celebrated Jon Cooper’s 1,000th game as the team’s head coach.  At the request of his assistant coaches, J.C. Newman Cigar Co. rolled 1,000 special cigars to commemorate the milestone.  After the Lightning’s 4-2 win over the Colorado Avalanche, the team presented the cigars and a custom cigar humidor to Cooper.

“We are very proud to be a partner and exclusive cigar maker of the Tampa Bay Lightning,” said fourth-generation owner Drew Newman.  “As Tampa is ‘Cigar City,’ it is only fitting the coaches decided to celebrate Coop’s 1,000th game by lighting special Tampa Bay Lightning cigars.” 

Cooper is the fifth coach in NHL history to coach the same team for 1,000 games and is the longest tenured head coach in the NHL.  An avid cigar enthusiast, Cooper told Cigar Aficionado that he began enjoying cigars when the team started winning championships.  “I equated cigars to winning and I haven’t stopped,” he said.  Hockey fans can light a cigar at J.C. Newman’s Diamond Crown Cigar Lounge inside the Lightning’s Benchmark Arena.  A review by Cigar Aficionado noted that  “the lounge is unique because it’s the only space in an NHL arena where you can smoke a cigar and watch all the hockey action at the same time.”

J.C. Newman delivered all 1,000 cigars to the Lightning.  They are not commercially available.