Devin Cooley got a public nod from another goalie this weekend, and the Calgary Flames netminder made sure to return the sentiment.
After Pittsburgh Penguins rookie Sergei Murashov picked up his first win of the season in a 5-2 victory over the LA Kings, he used his postgame media availability to send a message to Cooley. Murashov, who stopped 18 of 20 shots, said he wanted to thank Cooley for speaking openly about the mental health challenges that come with playing goalie.
“I want to pass a media message to Devin Cooley. I saw he was really popular recently, and like most of the goalies are going through something like he’s talking about, but not a lot actually speak aloud,” Murashov said.
“So, just thank you to him for what he’s saying, and it helps. It genuinely just helped me a little bit too.”
Murashov’s night stood out not just because of the win, but because it was such a change from the heavy pressure he’s been facing lately against stronger opponents. The 22-year-old was visibly relieved to finally break through, earning just the second win of his 11-game NHL career.
On Monday, Cooley responded to the shoutout and said the message had already made its way around the league.
“I did not see it, but I heard about it from multiple people telling me,” Cooley said. “I heard it was awesome, and I’ve gotten messages from other guys in the league, too, who have reached out. I’m like, ‘that’s really cool.’
“I’m glad I can do something instead of just play a sport … because that doesn’t really make a huge impact on humanity.”
He laughed after making the self-deprecating remark.
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