The smell of crisp salt filled the air, as waves crashed against the bows of 28 boats filling the water, the occupants eyeing the fish swimming the channel. These weren’t your every day fishermen; this was the entourage that followed Tampa Bay Lightning Head Coach Jon Cooper out on the water in the first-ever Coop’s Catch for Kids fishing tournament, aimed to raise money and awareness for children diagnosed with pediatric cancer. The tournament was the brainchild of Jon Cooper himself after meeting an unlikely friend in then 15-year-old Tony Colton at the 2015 Tampa Bay Sneaker Soiree.
Tampa Bay Lightning fan Tony Colton’s lasting impact on the community
