How Devin Cooley's dad helped shape hockey's most fascinating interview

CALGARY — Devin Cooley swears he’s an introvert. 

And honestly, if he didn’t keep telling us that, no one would believe it.

The man who has become the NHL’s must‑watch post‑game interview, a goalie who can turn a routine scrum into a philosophy lecture, a comedy set, or a TED Talk, insists he’s actually quiet, reserved, and happiest alone with a book.

But then the puck drops, the adrenaline spikes, and something inside him flips.

“I’m super introverted,” said the Calgary Flames’ 28-year-old goaltending revelation.

“But there’s something about hockey, when I get the blood flowing I get such a huge burst of energy. All I want to do is talk. After a game, your energy level is like a 10 out of 10. Then you’ve got to go talk in front of a bunch of cameras, and I end up just rambling on and going like crazy. Sometimes I get home and don’t even remember what I said. Then the next day it’s going viral.”

It’s become a Calgary ritual: Win or lose, Cooley plays great, and the internet wakes up to another clip of the goalie explaining, say, why netminders should be allowed to smash their sticks after goals, or how his personal mantra — “Nothing matters, nobody cares, we’re all going to die” — helps him stay calm in the crease.

It’s quirky. It’s refreshing. It’s honest.

And it didn’t come out of nowhere.

If you want to understand Devin Cooley, you have to understand his dad.

Scott Cooley is a Silicon Valley success story, a software entrepreneur who built companies, wrote columns, and even testified in front of Congress.

He’s also, like his son, an introvert who had to learn how to come out of his shell.

“I always say I’m an introvert that had to learn to be extroverted,” said Scott.

“A lot of technology CEOs are like that. You’re forced into it. I did a lot of public speaking. In 2003 I predicted the housing crash, and said Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac are all going to blow up and it’s going to be the worst housing crash that we’ve ever had since the Great Depression. And then it happened.”

Devin grew up watching his dad speak at San Jose State, at tech conferences, at events across the country. He watched him build companies like Contour Software and Ellie Mae. He watched him turn introversion into a skill rather than a limitation. He absorbed it all.

“He’s a natural introvert like me, but he knows that to get out of that, you’ve just got to do it — you’ve got to speak,” he said.

“You’ve got to get through that. Now he’s a great speaker.”

So when Devin steps in front of the cameras, he’s not performing. He’s channeling a lifetime of watching his dad do the same thing, just with a little more caffeine and a lot more adrenaline.

The Cooley story is already improbable enough: a kid from Los Gatos, California becoming an NHL goalie.

“When he was five and six I coached him, but when he was seven it was over my head,” said Scott. 

“I built a hockey rink up on the hill (overlooking Silicon Valley). Artificial ice, you oil it up, pretty darn close to real ice. Nobody comes from northern California to play in the NHL. Now we have two goalies on the same team from here. I couldn’t be happier”

They didn’t know what AAA was. They didn’t know what juniors were. They didn’t know the path.

So they learned it together.

“Every tournament, every game, he’d go around the stands asking scouts, or parents, or coaches questions,” said Devin.

“Not like, ‘Hey, that’s my son, watch him.’ Just, ‘What league are you from? What’s the next path?’ I was always excited because after every game he’d have new information. We just had no idea.”

What Devin did know was this: if he worked, his dad would match it.

“He always told me and my two brothers, ‘If you guys are willing to put in the effort, I’m going to put in the effort to match that,’” he smiled.

“That was so motivating. If I ever let my foot off the gas, he was going to let me know.”

Like the summer Devin finished last in the USHL in goals-against average and save percentage.

“He asked my plan for training, I didn’t have one,” recalled Devin.

“He said, ‘You’re either going to get a job or you’re going to find a goalie coach.’ So I went to Boston for five months and revamped my game. That push was exactly what I needed.

“My dad was kind of like my role model with things, and just seeing how hard he worked, and how much he was willing to sacrifice for success, and how much he was willing to work for us.”

Scott laughs when he hears his son’s now‑famous line.

“‘Nothing matters, nobody cares, we’re all going to die.’ That’s all on his own,” said Scott.

“It may sound nihilistic, but he’s not that way. He studies philosophy, longevity, he’s very bright. And honestly, when you’re in that net dealing with pressure, it’s a healthy way to look at it.”

Scott sees the calm in his son now, the steadiness that wasn’t always there as he battled through the ECHL and AHL the last five years.

“I’ve seen a difference this year,” said Scott of a dream breakthrough into the NHL that has his son sitting amongst NHL leaders in GAA and save percentage.

“It doesn’t matter what happens in the net, he’s calm, cool and collected.”

And he loves the interviews as much as anyone.

“I laugh with everybody else,” said Scott.

“Goalies are unique, and not many are good at public speaking. I’m proud of him. I encouraged him to connect with the press. They’ll be your best fans. And it’s turned out exactly that.” 

Cooley’s fan base is sure to grow even larger Saturday when he’ll be Scott Oake’s guest on After Hours, giving him a 30-minute canvas on which to share even more memorable takes.  

And if it produces more video gold, Dad will be watching.

Laughing.

Proud.

And probably thinking, “Yeah… that’s my kid.”