Joe Rogan discusses viral interview given by Calgary Flames goalie Devin Cooley
Calgary Flames goaltender Devin Cooley has become an unlikely talking point beyond the hockey world, and now one of the biggest podcast hosts on the planet has weighed in.
Joe Rogan recently discussed Cooley’s viral interview on The Joe Rogan Experience, expressing fascination with the 28-year-old netminder’s explanation of how he needs to keep his mind from getting in the way of his performance.
Cooley initially caught the hockey world’s attention earlier this month following a 3-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes, during which he stopped 34 of the 36 shots he faced.
Speaking with Flames TV host Brendan Parker after the game, Cooley explained that having too much fun on the ice can actually hurt his performance by causing him to overthink.
“The problem with me is that I have a lot of fun playing, but when I start having too much fun, it makes me go from an unconscious goalie to a conscious goalie, and my conscious brain is really bad at playing goalie,” Cooley said.
“So I have to let my unconscious brain do the work because it reacts a lot quicker.”
The candid explanation quickly went viral, spreading well beyond the hockey community and eventually catching Rogan’s attention.
During a conversation with Bill Thompson last week, Rogan admitted he wasn’t familiar with Cooley but was intrigued by his comments about the mental side of goaltending.
“This guy is very intelligent. I don’t know his name, I don’t follow hockey unfortunately,” Rogan said. “He was talking about how he has to be in an unconscious state to play goalie.”
How viral have Devin Cooley’s recent interviews gone, you ask? Well, his “unconscious brain” conversation got brought up on The Joe Rogan Experience last week pic.twitter.com/ijunITlMVu
— Colton Pankiw (@Coltonpankiw) October 27, 2026
While Cooley’s comments have made him an internet sensation, his performance on the ice has given hockey fans plenty of reasons to pay attention, too.
The 29-year-old has won four consecutive starts, posting a 1.50 GAA and a .954 SV% during that stretch.
Neither his strong play nor his entertaining interviews are new for Cooley. He excelled in his rookie season behind Dustin Wolf in 2025-26 and gave plenty of hilarious interviews along the way.
If he keeps playing this well, he will only continue to garner more attention both on and off the ice.