Devin Cooley Isn't Just Dustin Wolf's Backup Anymore

Devin Cooley is starting Calgary's preseason opener against Seattle on Sunday, and that probably won’t make many people in the hockey world stop what they're doing. It's preseason. Goalies start preseason games. Calgary has invested in Dustin Wolf as its long-term starter. Cooley is supposed to be the backup.

Except I'm not sure that's the most interesting way to look at Cooley anymore. Last season, Cooley became one of the Flames' better stories. He played 31 games and finished with a 2.69 goals-against average and a .909 save percentage. That's not the sort of season that gets you a Vezina Trophy, but for a goalie playing behind a Calgary team that had plenty of problems, it was pretty useful.

Can Cooley make the most of this opportunity?

And now Cooley is back, and the interesting part is what he is doing with the opportunity. This summer, he had lunch with a pretty good teacher. That’s the former Flames goalie Miikka Kiprusoff.

That's one of those invitations where you probably don't spend much time thinking about what to order for lunch. You listen. Kiprusoff apparently talked to Cooley about something that sounds pretty simple but probably isn't: keep learning. Keep changing. Keep looking for little things that can make you better.

Cooley seems to be that kind of goalie anyway. He told the Flames that when he meets other goalies, he asks questions about everything from their pregame routines to their equipment and nutrition. As a teacher, I like that. There is something very old-school about it.

Goalies don’t learn just by playing NHL games.

You don't decide you've figured out goaltending because you had one good season. You keep looking. You keep stealing little ideas from other people. You keep trying to make yourself a little better. That could be especially important for Cooley this season.

The Flames already know what they have in Dustin Wolf. Wolf is the future and has the big contract to prove it. Cooley's job is different. But different doesn't mean unimportant.

A good backup goalie can change the way a team manages an entire season. He gives the starter a night off without everybody in the dressing room wondering what's going to happen. He can step in when injuries hit. And sometimes, as Cooley showed last season, he can make the decision about who starts a little more interesting.

That's why Sunday's game matters to me. Not because Cooley has to win the backup job. He doesn't. It's because this is the next chapter in a goalie who seems to understand that staying in the NHL isn't about arriving. It's about continuing to learn.

Kiprusoff learned that, and now it’s Cooley’s turn to do the same thing. And maybe that's the real story in Calgary's crease. Wolf may be the future. But Cooley might be a pretty important part of getting the Flames there.