Lightning coach Jon Cooper, left, and basketball Hall of Famer and NBA television analyst Charles Barkley, right, head out on the water Monday morning for the eighth “Coop’s Catch for Kids” catch-and-release fishing tournament.
Lightning coach Jon Cooper has some serious pull when it comes to getting some of his most famous friends to provide star support for his annual “Coop’s Catch for Kids” catch-and-release fishing tournament.
Wayne Gretzky, the greatest hockey player of all time and Cooper’s offseason neighbor, has attended the event multiple times. Quarterback Baker Mayfield appeared at Sunday’s pre-tournament Anglers’ Night shortly after the Bucs played the Patriots at Raymond James Stadium.
And before boats headed out Monday. basketball Hall of Famer and NBA television analyst Charles Barkley showed up for a morning on the water with Cooper.
The two have been friends for a decade, long before Cooper won two Stanley Cup championships and built a Hall of Fame-worthy resume. They famously met coincidentally at a bar in Los Angeles. Barkley didn’t even know Cooper was the Lightning’s head coach until he gave him his business card on the way out. Now, Barkley might be the team’s most famous fan. The ESPN analyst never hesitates to shout out Cooper when he’s talking hockey.
“It’s been 10 years,” Barkley said of his friendship with Cooper. “Seems longer. Just kidding. No, he’s a great friend. ... I don’t like to bother him during the season. I try to catch a Lightning game anytime, because I love going to hockey games. But if our schedules match, I always try to go to a game. But, man, he’s just a great friend, and I’m glad to be a small part of an amazing day.”
Charles Barkley, second row center, wishes Lightning forward Brandon Hagel, front, good luck before this year's "Coop's Catch for Kids" catch-and-release fishing tournament.
Donors are paired up with Cooper and his players on guided fishing boats for the tournament, which benefits pediatric cancer research and support. This year’s event raised $500,000. Over its 10 years, it has raised $1.5 million.
“Friendship is friendship,” Cooper said of Barkley. “But in the end, if I was calling Charles to say, ’Hey, come hang out with me,’ it’s not the way it works. The fact is that he is so passionate about causes like this, and he’s here to help. And I think that’s why Charles is Charles, because he will jump on an airplane and come out and support a cause with a whole bunch of people that he doesn’t even know, but he knows it’s for the greater good, and that’s why Charles Barkley is an A-Lister.”
The fish were biting
Lightning defenseman J.J, Moser relaxes on a boat Monday as he sets out to compete in "Coop's Catch." He was the first to catch a fish, a 15-inch snook.
Lightning defenseman J.J. Moser joked that during his first “Coop’s Catch” last year, he caught only a few underwhelming ladyfish, nothing you’d brag to your friends about. But aboard boat 22, captained by Patrick Tomlin of St. Petersburg, Moser was the first to catch a fish on Monday, a 15-inch snook.
Though some heavy winds prompted boats to stay closer to land than usual, the fish were biting. And Moser’s early catch, which came 15 minutes into reels being cast, was the beginning of a big day for the boat. Moser was paired with Tampa father and son Darcy and Hayden Duncan, who have participated in the event from the beginning.
The Duncans were the only participants to win the grand slam by reeling in a snook, redfish and trout. A trip through the Palm River basin netted the snook and redfish, and they snagged a trout. Hayden Duncan’s 27 ½-inch redfish was the biggest fish caught during the four hours boats were on the water.
Hayden Duncan, left, shows off the 27-1/2-inch redfish he caught Monday, along with Lightning defenseman J.J, Moser. The fish was the largest individual fish caught during the tournament.
Event continues to grow
When Cooper first held the tournament in 2016, he hoped to raise $60,000. He collected $400,000 in donations alone during Anglers’ Night, including $250,000 from the Lightning ownership group. That included $50,000 pledges each from incoming owners Doug Ostrover, Marc Lipschultz, and Nicole Padgett and her husband, Marc.
All of the proceeds go to the J5 Foundation, the Cooper Family’s charitable organization created in 2022. (All five of the Coopers’ names — Jon, his wife Jessie and children Julia, Josie and Jonny — begin with the letter J, inspiring the foundation’s name.)
Charles Barkley and Jon Cooper have been friends for 10 years since meeting at at Los Angeles bar. Today, Barkley joined Cooper for his annual Coop’s Catch benefit fishing tournament. Asked Chuck about their relationship before they heads out on the boats. #gobolts #nba #nhl pic.twitter.com/3l7Eexj0tr— Eduardo A. Encina (@EddieInTheYard) November 10, 2025
The foundation just made its first significant donation, to the Tampa General Hospital Foundation. Across the water from where boats took off for Monday’s tournament, the Coopers will sponsor a new family lounge at TGH’s Muma Children’s Hospital.
“When we first started this, the dream was to make it be what it is now,” Cooper said. “But you never know how things are going to turn out. We came from humble beginnings. ... Every year, it just gets bigger and better. And (Sunday) night was a phenomenal night. Some of the biggest sports stars showed up. So, you know what it means to everyone else.”
Up next
vs. Rangers, 7 Wednesday, Benchmark International Arena TV/streaming: TNT; HBO Max, tblightning.tv Radio: 102.5-FM
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