The legend of Devin Cooley has grown even further following the Calgary Flames’ victory over the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday night.
The 29-year-old had far and away his best performance thus far in the 2026-27 season, kicking aside 34 of the 36 shots he faced from the reigning Stanley Cup champions.
The strong performance also helped Cooley pick up his first win of the season. It also resulted in a postgame interview, and yet again, he didn’t disappoint.
“The problem with me is that I have a lot of fun playing, but when I start having too much fun, it makes me go from an unconscious goalie to a conscious goalie, and my conscious brain is really bad at playing goalie,” Cooley said to Flames TV host Brendan Parker.
“So I have to let my unconscious brain do the work because it reacts a lot quicker. When I’m having too much fun, and I’m smiling and talking to everybody and hanging out, what happens is that that shifts me into more conscious brain goalie. Then I can’t react in time, I’m slow, I’m behind the play, and then I give up seven goals.”
"I have to let my unconscious brain do the work because it reacts a lot quicker." 🧠
Devin Cooley chats with @BParkerTV about the psychology behind his unreal performance vs. the Canes. pic.twitter.com/Y96lEOFmLn
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) October 19, 2026
Cooley then spoke with reporters in the dressing room a short time later, and continued answering questions in a way that only he can.
“I’m a really bad conscious brain goalie, if that makes sense. So I just let my unconscious brain do everything. Like, ‘Don’t think about anything, don’t have too much fun, don’t smile too much, just shut it off.’ And then I just start making saves, and I’m like, ‘I don’t even know how I made that save,’ and it’s like, ‘Well, it doesn’t matter.’
“And then you let up a goal, and you’re like, ‘I can’t believe I let in that goal,’ and it’s like, ‘It doesn’t matter. The past is dead. There’s nothing for you there.’ That worked.”
We've got another electric post-game interview from Devin Cooley 🔥 pic.twitter.com/Mb60606c05
— Calgary Flames (@NHLFlames) October 19, 2026
Yes, the 6-foot-6 netminder is certainly a little quirky, something both his teammates and the fan base absolutely love about him. He’s as authentic as it gets, and it makes him a very easy individual to root for.
The biggest thing for Cooley to focus on going forward is his consistency, as the Flames have allowed 37 goals in just eight games this season. Should Cooley continue to deliver more starts as he did on Sunday, he could begin to find himself between the pipes on a far more regular basis.
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