Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
SALT LAKE CITY — Logan Cooley couldn't help but notice the jerseys in the crowd.
As the Utah Hockey Club forward warmed up on the Prudential Center ice for his first NHL game last season, something stood out in the sea of red New Jersey Devils sweaters. Some fans were wearing his name and his number.
That was surreal.
He had seen his jersey in the stands before – some University of Minnesota fans had customized some Golden Gopher jerseys during his lone collegiate season — but this was different. Heck, it was just a few years prior that he was attending games as a fan proudly wearing a Washington Capitals sweater with the name "Ovechkin" on the back. Suddenly, people were doing the same thing with one that read "Cooley."
"I remember being a little kid and just wearing an Ovechkin jersey, and you don't really think too much of it," Cooley said. "You kind of appreciate it a little more like now, people wanting your jersey, and think that highly of you. They're also not that cheap either. So it's pretty cool to kind of have people wanting to wear that."
There might even be more Cooley jerseys than Ovechkin's come Monday night at the Delta Center when the Russian legend makes his first appearance in Utah — a thought Cooley still may have a hard time wrapping his mind around.
Yes, he's played the Capitals before, and even scored against his favorite childhood team. He's shared the ice with Ovechkin multiple times now, but there's still something about seeing one of his favorite players on the other side.
"You're pretty starstruck," he said, recalling last season's matchups. "But it's cool. You see him on TV all the time. You're rooting for him, then you're playing against him, battling him. And it's always fun to go against the best guys to ever play."
Oddly enough, Cooley's hockey journey began with another one of the all-time greats — and Ovechkin's longtime rival.
Cooley hails from West Mifflin in the greater Pittsburgh area. He grew up watching Penguins games and got started in hockey due to Sidney Crosby's efforts to help grow the game in the city.
In 2008, Crosby started the Little Penguins Learn to Play program, gifting young kids free hockey gear and making it easier for them to get into the sport.
The program provided kids between the ages of five and nine with full equipment and 10 on-ice sessions — including some with Crosby himself. Hundreds of kids signed up and even more wanted in, pushing the Penguins to keep increasing the number each season.
One of the kids during that first season was a young Logan Cooley.
"Pittsburgh is the reason why I got into hockey," said Cooley, who will have his second homecoming game on Saturday when Utah plays at the Penguins. "It's a big sports city, and they take a lot of pride in their sports there."
His family played a key role in him getting on the ice, too.
He had two uncles, Tom and John Mooney, who played college hockey. His older brothers Eric and Riley played, too. His younger cousin LJ Mooney, who Cooley said may be the best of the bunch, is a potential first-round pick in the 2025 NHL draft. The 17-year-old forward will follow Cooley's footsteps at Minnesota following the draft.
"When my brothers were playing, we were always training together," Cooley said. "The past summer I trained with my little cousin. He's kind of gearing up for his draft year, so it was nice to kind of work with him and train with him. It's nice that we kind of push each other and try to make each other better."
Suffice it to say that hockey would have found Cooley with or without a youth hockey program.
"My whole family was kind of just around hockey, and so I didn't really get a choice but I'm happy I played becuase now we're here," he said with a smile.
He did have a choice, though, when it came to his favorite team.
Sure, Cooley dutifully watched the hometown Penguins as a youngster, but once his knowledge of the game expanded, his eyes became more and more fixated on Crosby's rival in the nation's capital.
"I started to get a little bit older and I started to just love the Capitals," he said.
He liked the way they played, and how skilled they were as a group. It didn't hurt that they had an all-time player in Ovechkin either. The Washington legend is now chasing Wayne Gretzky's goal record — and is just 28 goals away from the mark after recording a hat trick on Sunday.
Just a couple of years ago, Cooley would have been outwardly rooting for each goal. Now, he's trying to stop them — at least for one night.
"In warmups, I'll look over, and it'll be pretty cool," Cooley said. "But as the game starts, you want to limit his chances and not see him score now. As you continue to play in this league, you start to get a little more used to things. But last year was definitely cool. Going against like Ovi, (Patrick) Kane and Crosby for the first time was pretty special."
Though, his coach thinks it's just fine if he remains a little starstruck.
"I'm 50 years old and I'm still a fan," André Tourigny said. "I'm still excited when I have to play against those guys. That's the beauty of hockey."
