Flames' Cooley shares more fascinating insight into his mind during 'Spittin' Chiclets' appearance
Despite recently being sidelined due to an injury, Calgary Flames goalie Devin Cooley continues to find himself in the spotlight.
The 29-year-old has become a fascinating interview subject following a recent conversation about his “unconscious brain” that has taken on a life of its own. Cooley has since appeared on ESPN, and his comments were even brought up on The Joe Rogan Experience.
Recognizing just how much attention the netminder has garnered, hockey’s biggest podcast, Spittin’ Chiclets, welcomed Cooley for an appearance on Thursday’s episode.
The conversation was every bit as entertaining as you’d expect, with Cooley offering more insight into the way his mind works. From explaining how his pet bunny, Tito, helps calm his nervous system before games to discussing his fascination with quantum physics, there was certainly no shortage of interesting topics.
tito.cooley/Instagram
One particularly hilarious moment came when co-host Ryan Whitney agreed with Cooley’s thoughts on the importance of turning off your brain, something the former NHL defenceman said has helped improve his golf game.
That prompted fellow co-host Keith Yandle to interject with a rather different explanation.
“Or [because] you’re sh*tfaced.”
“That’s a good point, the drinking,” Cooley exclaimed. “When you have a few drinks, it shuts down that part of your brain, the prefrontal cortex that deals with decision making and talking, and it silences it.
“Some people are like, ‘Oh I’m better at beer pong after a few drinks.’ There’s actually a science behind it.”
Sergei Belski/Imagn Images
While the exchange provided one of the interview’s funniest moments, Cooley had plenty more to say about the mental approach that has helped him find success.
The Flames netminder went into greater detail about how he gets himself into a “flow state,” explaining that the key is to eliminate outside distractions and focus entirely on what’s happening in front of him.
“You have to put all your energy in what is happening around you. You cannot be thinking about yourself at all,” Cooley explained. “When I’m going into a game, it doesn’t matter what I did before. It doesn’t matter how I’m feeling. Am I feeling sick, am I tired, am I feeling nervous? I’ll literally tell myself, ‘I do not care.’
“Any type of thought that pops in my head saying ‘Oh, I feel a little tired, I feel a little sluggish. I don’t care. I literally don’t care.’ I just keep saying that anytime a thought pops up, and I put all my energy into what is happening around me, what the other team is doing, what their threats are. Looking for those patterns that make me able to do my job.”
They say all hockey goalies are odd. Well, Devin Cooley is a pure-bred hockey goalie. pic.twitter.com/HN7pPSHOZ3
— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) October 30, 2026
It’s certainly an interesting approach, and one that has coincided with an impressive rise for the Calgary netminder.
After not becoming an NHL regular until the age of 28, Cooley has quickly established himself as an important piece of the Flames’ goaltending picture. He was also riding a season-high four-game winning streak before his recent injury.
Flames fans will undoubtedly be eager to see him back between the pipes. Not only has Cooley given them plenty to be excited about on the ice, but he’s quickly becoming one of hockey’s most entertaining personalities away from it.
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