TAMPA, FLA. (WFLA) — Tampa Bay Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper hosted the 7th annual Coop’s Catch for Kids, presented by Heritage Insurance, on Monday.
From 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Cooper and the entire Lightning team joined participants for a day of fun and fishing on the water, all while raising funds for pediatric cancer research.
All proceeds go to the J5 Foundation, the Cooper Family’s charitable organization founded in 2022.
Participant Weston Hermann was diagnosed with brain cancer at seven years old.
"This is a big event for me because I’m an avid hockey player. I’ve had three brain surgeries, two different rounds of chemotherapy— just a bunch of different treatments. And being in remission... it’s kind of been a lot," Weston said.
"The smiles put on kids' faces, their families, it just makes everything worth it," Jon Cooper said.
The head coach added that an event that started eight years ago, became bigger and better than he ever imagined it to be.