Logan Cooley talks about how Sidney Crosby shaped his NHL dream drawing path for forward through Little Penguins Program
Follow Us
Sidney Crosby and Logan Cooley [Image Credit: Twitter-NHL/All About The Jersey]
Arizona Coyotes 2022, 3rd overall NHL Draft Logan Cooley talks about how Sidney Crosby gave wings to his NHL dream, weaving a path through Little Penguins Program. After getting selected by the Coyotes, he often wonders how it would feel like to skate on the same ice as Crosby playing against No. 87.
Logan is among the few players who grew his hockey skills under the direct shadow of ‘The Next One’. The 18-year-old states that he was very young to recognize how great of an opportunity it was to skate and learn from the legend himself. He may have been young, but Crosby’s aura sure did tell him a story.
Logan laughingly admits that he has always been a Washington Capitals fan, especially of Alex Ovechkin. Despite being an Ovie fan, he learned and fell in love with hockey under Crosby’s shadow. He said that Penguins and Crosby hold a special seat in his heart, but Ovie is just No.1 for him.
“I actually grew up a Capitals fan, so it was a little crazy. I’m a big [Alex Ovechkin] fan”. “Ever since I was young, I always liked the way Ovie competed, the way he celebrated his goals and little things like that. I’m still a Pittsburgh fan, still a Crosby fan — it’s just, the Capitals are my No. 1,” Logan commented.
Related: Sidney Crosby ties Jaromir Jagr’s record in representing Penguins at NHL All-Star Game 2023
Logan Cooley shares how Sidney Crosby impacted his life
![Logan Cooley [Image Credit: NHL.com]](https://firstsportz.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/IMG_COM_20230114_2155_34_5902-1024x768.jpg)
Sidney Crosby’s Little Penguins Program which granted the local kids an opportunity to taste the ice, brought many dreams to fruition. One prime example is Logan Cooley himself, who was one of the top 2022 prospects during the Draft. He’s been creating tornadoes in the hockey world.
No doubt he’ll have an exploding debut on NHL ice very soon. Graham Harkins comments on Logan’s play, “I had the pleasure of working with some pretty good players at other birth years — Division I players — but the ability Logan had to take over a game, and make his teammates better, was evident from the first game”.
“I mean, I sometimes would shake my head, you know? Or look at an assistant coach and go, ‘There’s nothing you can do to coach that.’ It was just God-given ability. He was just the best player on the ice.”
Logan said of Crosby, “I’m sure I still would have tried hockey, at least. But I think being able to go out there with Sidney Crosby made it a lot more fun,” he says. “It’s hard to say where I would be right now if it wasn’t for that. It got me to love the game even more.”
Currently, Logan’s focus is on the University of Minnesota and playing and improving his hockey skills. Sometimes while driving down Center Avenue, he reminiscences his past skating experiences, and how he took on the same ice as Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
He says, “That’s something that for sure I’ve thought about”. “It would definitely be a special moment. And I think a pretty funny moment, too. He’s the reason — he got me into hockey, you know?”
“Made me fall in love with it, too, just watching him compete. To be able to play against him would just be crazy. It probably wouldn’t even feel real. To be able to play against him would just be mind-boggling.”
In case you missed:
Stay Updated!
Kaushani Chatterjee
(2193 Articles Published)