Logan Cooley is set to make his NHL debut for the Arizona Coyotes this season. Many may not know but it was Sidney Crosby who helped introduce Cooley into the game of hockey.
Logan Cooley put the hockey world on notice this past weekend scoring a goal in the Arizona Coyotes first preseason game against the Los Angeles Kings that made national headlines.
The 2022 third overall pick is one of the more highly anticipated prospects going into the 2023-24 season. One NHL legend helped spark Cooley’s hockey career and put him onto the path that he is on today.
Cooley grew up in Pittsburgh at the same time Sidney Crosby was propelling the Penguins to greatness.
Through Crosby’s time in a Penguins jersey, he has won three Stanley Cups and established himself as one of the greatest hockey players to ever live. It's not only on the ice where Crosby has impacted Pittsburgh but through the years he continues to be an inspiration for the community.
During the 2008-2009 season, Crosby created the Little Penguins Learn to Play program which provides free head-to-toe gear to children aged five through nine. During the first year of its inception, there were 600 participants. One of those 600 participants was none other than five-year-old Cooley.
"That's how I got into hockey, having the chance to get free equipment, be out on the ice with the best player in the world," Cooley said back in 2022 at the NHL’s scouting combine in Buffalo. "Anytime you can learn anything from him is pretty special."
Since skating with Crosby as a little boy, Cooley has been able to accomplish truly amazing things. The young center has gone on to play for the U.S. National Development Team, helped lead the University of Minnesota to the NCAA championship game this past season and now is set to play in the NHL.
Crosby’s goal with the Little Penguins Learn to Play program is to introduce and ultimately get kids to play the game of hockey in the Pittsburgh community which he was able to do with Cooley.
"You know he (Cooley) started at my program," Crosby texted his former Penguin teammate Tyler Kennedy back in 2022. "which is so cool."
"Sid was so proud that he gave a kid gear to start playing hockey, and now he's getting drafted to the NHL," Kennedy said on 93.7 The Fan about Cooley in 2022.
Who knows, without Crosby maybe Cooley would never be drafted into the NHL or even play hockey. It shows that being a great player doesn't only mean how you perform on the ice, but it's also about how you impact a community.
"Anytime that you can have a guy like him around your city, that's only going to grow hockey in the area and bring the community together. He's a great guy," Cooley said.