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Logan Cooley has had Tuesday’s game circled for quite some time.

The 19-year-old rookie forward returns to his hometown of Pittsburgh on Tuesday, set to face off against the team he grew up watching locally. Yes, Cooley grew up as a fan of the Washington Capitals and Alex Ovechkin, but if not for Sidney Crosby’s learn-to-play program, the talented young forward may never have laced ‘em up.

At just five years old Cooley participated in the program, and the rest, as they say, is history.

“It’s super special,” Cooley said of the program. “Hockey’s an expensive sport and there are some families out there that can’t afford it. For [Crosby] to give free equipment, and just for kids out there to have fun and see what it’s all about; When I first set foot on the ice I knew I loved it and wanted to do something special with it.”

That passion stayed with him throughout his childhood, where he first grew with the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite teams before eventually graduating to the US National Development Program, and finally the University of Minnesota, where he finished as a Hobey Baker finalist with 60 points in 39 games.

Now, he continues to check off bucket-list items during his first NHL season. He’s played at the revered Madison Square Garden earlier this season, and scored the game’s first goal against his favorite childhood team, the Capitals, just last week.

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      WSH@ARI: Cooley scores goal against Darcy Kuemper

      Tuesday night he’ll take the ice at PPG Paints Arena in front of countless family and friends, and will share the same sheet with Crosby, who helped foster the youngster’s love of the game.

      “To be playing at that rink now is going to be pretty special, and I’m looking forward to it,” Cooley said. “When I decided to sign, this is the first game you look at, and you see now you’re playing your hometown team. It’s definitely been circled on the calendar for a while now, and we’re all pretty excited about it.”

      Cooley’s Pittsburgh roots have also given him an inherent advantage as he continues to grow into his NHL role, as he spends the summers training with other players from the area, including Vancouver’s J.T. Miller, the Rangers’ Vincent Trochek, and Anaheim’s John Gibson.

      That offseason regimen has helped him gain footing as a rookie early in his professional career, and though there’s still plenty he’s learning just 27 games in, he’s grateful for the opportunity to learn from some of the game’s players.

      Miller has 576 career points in 746 games, Trochek has 467 points in 663 games, and Gibson has a 2.83 goals-against average and .912 save percentage in 450 career games.

      “They’ve been great to me in helping me with small things on the ice, and just telling me what the NHL life is like,” Cooley said. “Pushing each other, helping me get better, too. It’s always fun competing against guys in the NHL.”

      Cooley especially credited the time with Miller, who has been an alternate captain with the Canucks for the past three seasons, with helping him acclimate to the league.

      “You see what he’s doing in the league, and any time you can learn from some of the best players in the league, it’s awesome,” Cooley said. “I’m happy to have them in Pittsburgh and it’s fun competing with them in the summertime.”

      Cooley won’t have much time to reminisce prior to Tuesday’s tilt against the Penguins considering it’s the second of back-to-back games for the Coyotes, but he did say he has been looking forward to catching up with family, friends, and even his dog, a golden doodle named Cooper.

      He’s especially grateful for the opportunity to play in his hometown given the sacrifices his parents made to help him pursue his hockey dream when he was younger, a sport his brothers played as well.

      “They sacrificed a lot of their time and put their effort into doing everything that can to make us successful,” Cooley said. “I’m just super grateful and appreciative for everything they’ve done.”

      Facing off against Ovechkin and Crosby in just over a weeks’ worth of time is memorable enough, but Tuesday night’s game against Crosby will be a full circle moment in life, even as he is still in the last of his teenage years.

      The next generation of NHL stars may be tuning in as well, and Cooley said he wants to continue to help grow the game, just as Crosby did for him.

      “Seeing the things that he has done for the city and that organization, it’s eye opening, and something that I want to be a part of, too,”  Cooley said. “I want to help grow the game and show that kids coming out of Pittsburgh can make it, chase their dream, and one day get to this level, also.”

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