- Flames goalie Devin Cooley is going viral for philosophical postgame interviews
- He is 4-0 and was named the NHL’s Second Star of the Week
- Read below for the Joe Rogan shoutout and the pet bunny
Devin Cooley has become the most quotable goalie in hockey, and the internet has noticed.
The Flames netminder has spent the past two weeks trading hockey clichés for talk about consciousness, death and the unconscious brain. It’s working. Cooley is 4-0 and was named the NHL’s Second Star of the Week on Monday.
The latest wave started Oct. 18, minutes after Cooley beat the Hurricanes 3-2. He explained to Sportsnet’s Brendan Parker why he tries not to think while he’s in the crease:
“The problem with me is that I have a lot of fun playing, but when I start having too much fun, it changes me from an unconscious goalie to a conscious goalie, and my conscious brain is really bad at playing goalie,” Cooley said. “If you asked me how I made a save, I’d be like, ‘I have no idea.’”
Clips of that answer traveled well outside hockey. Cooley turned up on ESPN’s SportsCenter, where he joked that a Jameis Winston quote sounded like “a little bit of religious psychosis.” Joe Rogan then brought him up on The Joe Rogan Experience and said he understood exactly what the goalie meant.
Check out the Rogan clip:
None of this is brand new for Cooley. His “Nothing matters. Nobody cares. We’re all going to die” line got attention back in 2023-24 when he played six games for the Sharks. The 29-year-old also helps run an Instagram account for his pet rabbit, Tito, and teamed up with Parachutes for Pets on bunny-themed merch featuring his best quotes. We covered Tito’s trip to the rink earlier this month.
The results match the vibes. Cooley has a four-game win streak and has stopped 9.41 goals above expected over that stretch, per Natural Stat Trick. The Flames beat the Leafs on Monday to push him to 4-0 behind two goals from Matvei Gridin.
Cooley talked about his state of mind after that third win. He said he feels “completely in control” of his mind and spends his nights at home reading with his rabbit.
Watch the full interview:
Not everyone is sold. TSN’s Jeff O’Neill warned on OverDrive that the act could backfire if Cooley’s play slips. For now, the saves are doing the talking.
