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Sometimes you can get caught up in the heat of the moment, let alone if you play professional sports. That’s not the case with San Jose Sharks goalie Devin Cooley, by the looks of it.
Cooley, who has only played four NHL games through April 13 after making his debut on March 17, is coming off putting together the best two outings of his (brief) career.
On April 6, Cooley stopped 34 shots in a win against the St. Louis Blues and five days later, on April 11, he stopped a staggering 49 shots in another win at Seattle.
“I look up, I’m like, ‘Wow, a goal on 40 shots’ or whatever,” Cooley told reporters on April 11 after the 3-1 win over the Kraken, via Max Miller. “I’m like, ‘I feel good.’
“It’s just like… like nobody cares. You know? Nothing’s really gonna matter. We’re all gonna die.”
Truth be told, that’s certainly a grim way to explain his 49-save performance, but Cooley isn’t entirely wrong with his statement. And as long as that mindset and approach to the game helps him maintain focus during high-pressure moments in NHL games, good for the Sharks and their new netminder.
Devin Cooley Embodies the Feel Good Story as a California Native
Cooley’s debut in early March marked the first time a California-born goalie started on the net for San Jose. After losing his first two games stopping 26 shots on each of them, he saved 34 and then a franchise-high 49 in a first-ever road game in his latest outing on April 11.
“It’s been amazing,” Cooley said. “I’m trying to keep myself grounded and not get too excited. I’ve just been taking it one day at a time, one save at a time.
“Just really trying to stay in the present moment and not get too excited, not get too happy about it.”
One more save and Cooley would have reached the figure once put up by his childhood hero and former Sharks goaltender Evgeni Nabokov, whose 50-save record stayed safe.
San Jose Sharks head coach David Quinn praised Cooley’s performance after the game in a rather funny way while referencing the goalie’s birthplace.
“I don’t care if he’s from Guam or San Jose,” Quinn told NBC, “the fact that he’s stopping pucks like that, I’m glad he’s on our side.
“Obviously, it is a nice story and I’m happy everybody is excited about that, but it’s the National Hockey League and I’m just glad he played the way he did and stopped pucks.”
Sharks Already Clinched a Last-Place Finish in the NHL Standings
As things stand entering play on Sunday, April 14, the San Jose Sharks (47 points), Chicago Blackhawks (51 points), and Anaheim Ducks (57 points) are the worst NHL teams this season. These are the only three franchises with more than 10% odds of landing the No. 1 pick via lottery, according to Tankathon.
The Sharks have the biggest odds of landing the first-overall pick at 25.5%, followed by the Blackhawks (13.5%) and the Ducks (11.5%). San Jose has never won the lottery nor drafted any player with the No. 1 pick in franchise history.
Adding pain to misery, prospective No. 1 pick Macklin Celebrini told reporters on April 11 that he is “not too sure” about what to do next season, as Heavy documented on April 13.
Celebrini, who is the consensus-best prospect in the 2024 draft class, can opt to return to college instead of turning pro by signing an entry-level deal with the NHL team that drafts him in June.
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