Don't Think, Don't Smile, Just Make Saves: Devin Cooley's Goalie Philosophy

Goalies have always been a little… different.

Devin Cooley might just take the cake.

The Calgary Flames netminder has quickly become a must-listen during post-game media scrums, bringing an unusual mix of energy, personality and unfiltered honesty to the microphone. His interviews are never short on entertainment, and his latest performance gave him another opportunity to share what makes him tick.

Following his first win of the season, a 3-2 victory over the defending Stanley Cup champion Carolina Hurricanes, Cooley stopped 34 of 36 shots and offered some insight into the mental approach that helped him stay locked in throughout the game.

For Cooley, the secret is less about thinking his way through a game and more about getting his brain out of the way.

“Every second that you spend thinking about yourself through your conscious brain, it distracts you from what’s happening out in front of you, and that’s what I’ve been doing,” explained Cooley during the postgame scrum.

“The game is way too fast out there to let your conscious brain decide, and I’m a really bad conscious goalie, if that makes sense,” he continued. “So I just let my unconscious brain do everything. 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.”

It’s an interesting approach, particularly for a position where one bad bounce can quickly turn into a long night. Goaltenders are often told to have a short memory, moving on from mistakes before they have a chance to snowball. Cooley appears to have taken that advice a step further. Why remember anything at all?

“The past is dead, there’s nothing for you there,” he said.

It’s a philosophy the Flames could probably use across the lineup right now.

Heading into the season, general manager Craig Conroy identified his goaltending tandem of Dustin Wolf and Cooley as one of the team’s strengths. There was good reason for that optimism, but Calgary’s early struggles have put the spotlight squarely on its netminders.

After opening the season 0-5-0, the Flames have climbed to 2-6-0 but still sit with a minus-20 goal differential. It’s understandable that questions have started to surface about the state of the team’s goaltending, even if eight games hardly provide a definitive verdict on a tandem that entered the season with plenty of promise.

Cooley, meanwhile, isn’t interested in joining the panic.

The 29-year-old was as confident and composed in his post-game assessment as he was entertaining, backing both himself and Wolf while pointing to the people and process behind Calgary’s goaltending department.

“Everyone’s panicking about the goalies, everyone just chill out, we’re going to be fine. Dustin (Wolf) is going to be fine, I’m going to be fine,” he said.

 “Sometimes you just have a bad start and things aren’t going your way. But I have so much faith in our goalie department, in (Jason LaBarbera), in our process, in our work ethic, in our talent level, I just have so much faith.”

Two wins through eight games aren’t exactly cause for a parade down 17th Avenue, and the Flames have plenty of work ahead of them. But Sunday’s win offered a reminder that the group is capable of putting together a strong performance against quality opposition.

Confidence matters, particularly for a team trying to climb out of an early-season hole. The more Calgary can simplify its game, trust its preparation and avoid letting mistakes carry over into the next shift, the better its chances of finding some consistency.

Perhaps there’s something to Cooley’s approach. Stop overthinking, trust your instincts and focus on what’s happening in front of you.

And don’t smile too much.