While Logan Cooley grew up in Pittsburgh and got his hockey start in the Penguins’ learn-to-play program, his allegiances lay elsewhere.
As a kid, the Utah Hockey Club forward picked the Washington Capitals — one of the Penguins’ NHL rivals — as his favorite team and Alex Ovechkin as his favorite player.
“I don’t really know how it started. I just loved the way they played, they were a super-skilled team. I just kind of gravitated to [Ovechkin] and the way he scored goals and the way he would celebrate goals,” Cooley said. “It just made me love to watch him and love watching the Caps. I would put them on any chance I could after practice.”
On Monday, Cooley and Utah welcomed Ovechkin and the Capitals to Salt Lake City, giving Utah HC and its fans an up close look at hockey greatness.
Ovechkin is currently chasing Wayne Gretzky’s overall goal record of 894 which has stood for nearly three decades. Coming into Monday’s game at Delta Center, Ovechkin had 23 points (13 goals, 10 assists), bringing him to 866 goals through 1,443 cumulative career games. The Capitals had won three of their last four games — including Sunday’s 5-2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights in which Ovechkin had a hat trick.
(Rick Egan | The Salt Lake Tribune) Logan Cooley (92), Utah Hockey Club in the inaugural game between the Utah Hockey Club and the Chicago Blackhawks, at the Delta Center, on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024.
Cooley said facing off against his childhood idol never gets old.
“Last year, my first time, you’re kind of starstruck a little just seeing him on the ice in warmups,” Cooley said. “It feels weird when you’re on the same ice as him. Watching him on TV rooting for him, but now you’re trying to shut him down and not let him score this time.”
Cooley participated in Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby’s “Little Penguins” program in 2008 when he was four. He then went on to play for the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite 14U, 15U and 16U AAA teams before going to the United States National Team Development Program.
Nonetheless, Cooley maintained his Capitals fandom. The second-year NHLer said his mom would sometimes come to his side to support Washington when he was younger, but Cooley’s whole family is generally Penguins fans.
“When [the Capitals] would come to Pittsburgh I would always try to get to that game. I would go to the game wearing an Ovechkin jersey, fans didn’t like that too much,” Cooley said.
Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkin (8) celebrates after a goal in the second period of an NHL hockey game in Washington, Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Utah head coach André Tourginy has a serious gameplan for each matchup — especially against a shooter like Ovechkin — but he could still appreciate the excitement Cooley had for Monday night.
“I’m 50 years old and I’m still a fan. I get excited when we play against those guys or whatever,” Tourigny said. “I think that’s the beauty about hockey — you need to have passion to play the game. It’s not a job, it’s a passion, it’s a mode of living. You have to be all in. To see that kind of situation is great.”
Just as Cooley’s getting used to sharing the ice with his childhood idol, Cooley’s confidence and comfort with the NHL level has heightened in his sophomore season. While centering the second line between Matias Maccelli and Dylan Guenther, Cooley has pushed the pace of play and had logged 12 points (three goals, nine assists) entering Monday’s contest.
Cooley is used on the second power-play unit, occasionally slots in on the penalty kill and has focused on being responsible in all three zones — including at the face-off dot. His face-off percentage thus far this season is 47.6% compared to last year’s 38%.
“Faceoffs — just coming from college — it’s something that I didn’t pay too much attention to,” Cooley said.
“Now that you’re in the league you understand it a little more. You try to dial in those because they’re super important. Goals happen off of faceoffs all the time so you just try to win it as much as possible and take care of both ends of the ice.”
Tourigny pointed to Cooley’s improvement at the dot, as well as his growth as a professional.
“Cooley is a super competitive guy and he always wants more,” Tourigny said. “He’s growing as a person. He’s more mature, he sees what’s going on, he’s not getting fooled by production or number of scoring chances. He’s more and more capable of looking at the big picture.”
Utah’s meeting with the Capitals marked Cooley’s 100th NHL game. The team played Washington twice last season and won both times; 6-0 on Dec. 4, 2023, and 5-2 on March 3. Cooley scored a goal in each matchup.
Can he score one more time against his childhood idol?
“I hope so,” Cooley said.
