Coast to Coast: Detroit Red Wings Prospect Sebastian Cossa doesn ...

Growing up, I had no clue of the difference between immediate and extended family.  They were (and still are) one and the same to me. 

The only difference between the two was the travel time it took to reach my extended family. For some of my extended family, it was a seven-hour commute each way. I can’t tell you the number of hours spent in Western New York and the Canadian border.

Along the way, my parents jammed out to their classic rock, with familiar voices gracing the radio. One of my favorites was Casey Kasem. He was known to my young self as the voice of Norville “Shaggy” Rogers on many of the Scooby-Doo TV shows I loved (and still love). His Coast to Coast show was one of my favorites.

Decades after I listened to Coast to Coast on those road trips, around the time of the 2021 National Hockey League (NHL) Entry Draft, I began listening to rock band I Prevail’s album Trauma. A particular song caught my attention, “Bow Down.” (Please note this song is explicit and considered hard rock.)

Now, I can’t help but think of it as Cossa’s theme song. It’s intense, but so is Cossa on the ice.

While most people pounded the table for NHL goalie prospect Jesper Wallstedt, my cousin praised goaltender Sebastian Cossa. With an extra 3 inches of height, the athletic Cossa contrasted Wallstedt in almost every conventionally measurable way. 

Wallstedt seemed calm, cool, and collected at all times, while Cossa played as a wild man with greater peaks and equally lower valleys. In accordance with their playing styles, Wallstedt was deemed the safest choice. Although he might not steal games as often, teams could rely on him, knowing exactly what to expect more often than not.

Cossa had the raw tools to become a superstar goaltender in the NHL, but consistency and his five-hole plagued him throughout his junior career.