Logan Couture, San Jose Sharks Captain Interview | Frankly Speaking

Logan Couture, San Jose Sharks Captain Interview | Frankly Speaking

What do you do when you’ve given all you’ve got to the game and have nothing left to give? Welcome back to Frankly Speaking presented by Betwe. If you’re going to place a bet, bet on Betwe 19 plus, please play responsibly. That’s the exact answer that Logan Couture is looking for at this point in his career. still a young 36-year-old man who’s trying to figure out what’s next after announcing two weeks ago that he will be unable to continue playing hockey as a result of injury. We’ll dive into the injury osteitis pubis and how difficult it’s been for Couture to really even live at times a normal life over the last few years. And we’ll also talk about really the difficult road that it’s been mentally as well. Trying to figure out the love of the game that you have that has burned so brightly for decades since you were 3 years old when you started playing hockey. And maybe you just fall out of love a little bit with the game after such a difficult journey. But for now, let’s talk about the career that Logan Couture had on the ice. One of the best playoff performers of his generation. You know, it’s not often that guys find a level that Couture did in the postseason, leading separate Stanley Cup playoffs, one season in assists and points and another in goals. All for a guy who never had more than 70 points in any NHL regular season. Yes, if you look back on the stats, Logan Couture was a 87 point per game guy in the postseason compared to.75 points per game in the regular season. His goals, oh yeah, they went up in the postseason at a better rate as well. All for the San Jose Sharks in a remarkable career after being drafted ninth overall by the Sharks in 2007. Couture was named captain of the San Jose Sharks in 2019 prior to the 201920 season. The successor to so many of the guys that he had looked up to in his San Jose career. We’ll talk about the guys that impacted him as well, but unfortunately for him couldn’t continue on playing at the same level that he did previously with his games played and stats dropping off a little bit as a result of injury. Let’s dive in to our conversation today with San Jose Sharks captain Logan Couture. Logan Couture, two weeks ago you’re sitting at a podium in San Jose talking about the end of your career. Now that you’ve had a couple weeks to digest it and looking back, what were the emotions like for you? Yeah. Um it’s been a an interesting couple years. um some highs and lows obviously with the the injury, getting hurt for the first time and um you know dealing with different types of rehab and getting back and playing and then realizing that I wasn’t going to be able to come back again and play. Um so mentally it was tough, physically it was tough. Um but uh coming to this conclusion and you know getting the the whole thing over with I think uh felts pretty good for for me to you know get some closure and move past it a little bit. Yeah, I can certainly understand the finality part of it. Um, take us back through, I guess, starting at the beginning with with the injury. How did it occur? When did you really get to the bottom of of what the issue was? Uh, it happened I think it was July, early July in 2023 now. Um, I was just I was training in San Jose. um going through my regular offseason training, doing some conditioning, and I was running on a treadmill at incline. Um just sprinting, what I normally do every single summer, and felt something weird. Um didn’t really know what it was. So, I continued to to train a little bit, got an MRI, uh didn’t really show too much of an injury, so rested a little bit, and then continued to train all summer. And then early September, I was uh getting ready for training camp and it just got really really bad again. Got another MRI. Then it showed Austin Cubis that was pretty lit up and didn’t know anything about the injury. Looked it up, saw it was common in soccer, uh Aussie Rose football. Some other hockey players have had it over the years. Uh didn’t really know much about it. I mean, the diagnosis was, you know, it could be a week or two or it could be 16 to you never know. Um type of thing. So, um, from there just went through a lot of different processes of, uh, of rehab, cortisone shots, different treatment, uh, rest, and, uh, finally found a therapist out here in San Francisco that I was seeing, uh, near the end of that year, December, January, and, uh, I thought that, uh, I was going to get be past it. we uh we got back on the ice and and trained and obviously got ready to to play some games um at the end of January, but uh just couldn’t my body just couldn’t feel normal. Um continuously sore, growing pain all the time. Um you know, and it affected me when I left the rank. I’d come home and uh you know, it’d be tough to get off the couch. I’ve got I had a young kid at that young boy at that time and uh had a tough time being a parent and my life had to help me in and out of bed some nights and uh you know I figured it wasn’t going to going to get much better um that year and I I thought that if I had another summer of of training and then proper rehab again uh I could come back and play but uh you know I just couldn’t get clear to to come back and um never never uh have recovered really. Mhm. So, as you’re going through this process and you’re you’re trying to search for answers and trying to find, hey, maybe this therapist or this doctor or whoever it might be, you’re always looking for a solution. Was there was there any surgery options? Was there anything else that you could do to try and, you know, maybe find a different way to to tackle it? There’s possible one. Um, but it’s it’s not guaranteed. Um there’s there’s a therapy that has been done in certain people, but uh the percentage wasn’t close to 100. Uh and it’s hard on the body. It’s hard on your joints. Um hip joints, back joints, and where I’m at in my my career in life, I mean, I don’t know. We just didn’t know if that would be the the right thing to do. Um and we thought we could just go with our our rehab. Um but with the injury, so many times of continuously re reagravating it, reinjuring it. Um, you know, my body just couldn’t couldn’t take it anymore. Yeah, that’s really tough to hear. What’s normal dayto-day life like for you now? How are you getting around? I’m okay. Um, you know, if I if I I got two young kids now. Um, I just took my daughter out actually about an hour before this for for a walk and and I’m able to walk around the neighborhood, you know, for an hour. And look, I like I’m a little sore right now from it. That’s just simply walking on flat ground. Um, I try to stay in shape. I try and ride the bike. I could try and work out a couple times a week, but uh I’m sore the rest of the day. I’m sore that following day. Um I’m able to play golf, but you know, once every 10 days or so because my body just is so sore after that. Um but we’re hopeful that in the next few years without any hockey specific training that uh it’ll slowly go away and I’ll feel better. But, you know, with older age uh the body does become more sore and and breaks down more. So, we’ll see. Man, that’s tough to hear. So, as you’re you’re working through the physical part of it and how difficult that is. What is the mental side been like, you know, obviously getting to this stage in the finality, you know, that’s a one thing to process, but as you’re going through it and wanting to try and find that answer to get back out there, what was that process like for you? A lot of ups and downs. Um, you know, at the start it was a lot of research and just trying to figure out what exactly was wrong with me. And um, you know, reached out to other players that uh, play in the NHL or were playing in the NHL who have dealt with a type of this injury and uh, spent a lot of time on the phone with them just going through everything that they’re they did to get back to playing. Some got back and played a few more years, some didn’t come back and play. Um, just the severity of the injury differ so much. But, uh, yeah, learned as much as I could about it. um you know got very excited when I was getting back to feeling okay on the ice and thought that like I said I was going to be past it but uh disappointing when I got injured or continue to get injured in the six games I played last year in the final one in Anaheim I uh I before the game I was extremely sore but it was our last one before the break but I was trying to tell myself just get through this and then you got you know 10 days to to recover but I made sure in that third period to to look around and kind of take everything game because it was in the back of my mind that that could have been it. Yeah, I was going to ask if you knew that there was a good chance by that point that you just couldn’t do it. Yeah, unfortunately I I did. I mean, I still attacked this summer with with the goal of coming back and playing and put everything I possibly could into it, but uh yeah, my body just can’t take her anymore. You know, I think there’s this notion out there from fans that, you know, hear a story like yours and and see that you miss a chunk of time and they say, “Oh, look, he’s getting paid out the years on his contract. not a big deal. He’s set for life and all that, you know, that might be true, but the the pain and then also the mental side of it that we just talked about, like you’re a competitive guy, like you want to be on the ice, you want to be playing. These are some prime years still left in your career theoretically. And then the other part of it, not being able to to call your shot to go out on your own terms. How did you kind of sift through that process the last number of months and ultimately to getting to a point where you make that announcement a couple weeks ago? Yeah, it’s tough. I mean, you I played hockey since I was 3 years old. I it’s all I’ve really known how to do and um I’m dying to get back out and play. Um, you know, it’s it’s difficult to watch when you’re used to playing and competing and and being around the guys and you lose that camaraderie and there’s so much more than that comes with playing hockey than just going on the ice. Um, so I I’ll miss that. But, uh, yeah, I mean, I’ve sacrificed my body over the years. I’ve had multiple surgeries. I lost almost all my teeth, you know, 35 stitches in my face. Um, you know, it’s it’s a grind playing the game of hockey. And, uh, eventually it happens to athletes where their bodies just break down. So, um it’s not like I’m sitting at home with my my feet up, uh counting money. Um you know, I would love to be playing in the NHL still and and helping the San Jose Sharks. Um you know, I think there’s a bright future ahead in San Jose. You know, the last full year I played, I almost hit 70 points, so I thought that I still did have some good years left in in my career. And uh it’s unfortunate that the way the way it has gone, but uh it is what it is. And um you know, the last little while I’ve kind of come to terms with it. Yeah. I mean, even just hearing you say that you can only play golf once every 10 days, like it’s tough. Yeah. I mean, that like takes a lot of enjoyment out of life. Um, when it comes to the Sharks and how they handled this, obviously, you spent a lot of time rehabbing. Um, how how did that go from a Sharks perspective and how much did they help you try and find solutions? Incredible. Uh, from the start, Gerie said, “Whatever you need, we’ll, you know, we’ll try and get you healthy.” Um, you know, I went and saw a doctor in New York, saw doctors in San Francisco. We sent my MRI to all over the country, anywhere that had someone a hip or groin specialist. Um, you know, they they helped me out immensely. They wanted me back on the ice. We tried extremely hard. They brought people in, they flew people into San Jose to see me the last year or two, and yeah, unfortunately, we just couldn’t couldn’t do it. So, um, yeah, I had nothing but great things to say about how the Sharks handled this injury. Mhm. And the other part of this too that’s that can be difficult, you know, you’re the team captain and you want to be around the team, but in just in talking to Gabriel Landiskog and what he’s gone through and how much time he missed, he said one of the big things is you take a step back and you feel like even when you’re around the team, you’re in street clothes, you’re doing whatever, you feel like it’s their space, you’re an interloper. Did you spend any time around the Sharks the last couple years? And and what was that like? I tried to uh you know last year more so than this year last year because I I knew there was a a chance at me coming back and playing you know I I flew into a rookie dinner where they had it um you know we go to games and stick around as much as I could at practices and talk to guys and meet with coaches meet with management um stay involved this year it was more difficult because I was rehabbing extremely hard September, November, October um all the way up really until December. Um, and when you’re rehabbing, you’re kind of on your own on the different side of the arena. And I tried as much as I could to spend time with our younger players cuz we we have such a young team. Um, just be there for them if they have questions and and guide them through the ups and downs. But it’s it’s tough. Um, you know, you do you feel like you’re not part of the team when you’re not traveling. You don’t get, you know, the inside jokes. You’re not in the locker room. You’re really not a part of it. So that was difficult for me. Um, but you know after the trade deadline too, especially we traded away a lot of the guys that I had played with and spent time with. So I felt like a brand new team after the deadline and I was around the rank but but not as often as I was before because we knew that uh that I wasn’t going to be playing anymore. Let’s take a look back at your career. Um, you know, in thinking about uh the success that you guys had as a Sharks organization and also yourself personally, I can’t tell you how many nights I would show up in the playoffs and oh wait, there’s another special Logan Couture moment happening. When you think back to the playoffs and being one of those guys that was able to raise their game to a higher level, is that what you think you’re most proud of in your career? Oh, absolutely. Yeah. Um, wish we would have won. Obviously, it didn’t uh didn’t happen, but we had so many good runs here and so much fun. I mean, I said in my speech and and that’s what I’ll I’ll always remember about those good Sharks teams that we played on is it was so much fun going to the rink every day and and winning obviously is a big part of that. But the group of people that we had and you know that’s Jumbo, Patty Marlo, Pav, Bernzy, coaching staff Pete Dbor, Steve Spot and before that Todd Mlullen um it just made it enjoyable and fun and um kept us driven, kept us focused. um some of the best years of of my life. Um you know, playing here in San Jose. I think we had nine nine of 10 years in the playoffs, four or five Western Conference finals and obviously the one Stanley Cup run. Um so yeah, it was so much fun playing at the playoffs. Where does that come from? Like did you as you were growing up playing minor hockey, playing junior hockey, were you a guy that always sort of had the clutch gene and and how do you translate that to the NHL? I don’t know. I mean, I’m a junior. I never made it out of the first round. We we lost four straight years in in Ottawa in the first round. Um, but I think once you get to the NHL and you’re 16 wins away from the Stanley Cup, and that’s that’s something that uh I’ve I dreamt of of winning, you know, since I started watching the NHL years ago. And you can almost feel it. You can taste it. The the energy in the building is is much higher than it is in the regular season. you see a team’s you know four times in eight days there’s there’s real hate there between you and and the other team too so that adds fuel to it you want to beat them so badly at least I do I’m an ultra competitive person so that has something to do with it as well but I think the big thing was just being so close to the the cup I mean you win a game you knock a you know a number from 16 to 15 and and you’re closer and closer so that was a big part of it do you ever have any issues turning off the competitive part of you uh yeah absolutely I I think uh my friends my friends and my wife will tell you and my parents that uh I’m competitive at in too many things. So like board games, anything. Duly noted. Um you had a chance to repay some of this I’m sure when you were a captain, but when you think back to some of the guys that you mentioned, who did you really rely on? Who did you lean on when you first entered the league? I think the guys that were most important to to me, um, Joe Thor and Patrick Marlo, they, you know, they put me in in the locker room at SAP Center and at our practice rank right beside Patty. And Patty’s not the most outgoing, talkative person in the world, but uh, if you sit beside him for for long enough, he you have enough conversations with me. And, um, he was so good good to me. Uh, you know, just small talk about my life and and my family and, uh, hockey from time to time. Ryan Klo. Um he fought about 15 people my first year because I got run over all the time and uh Khloe was uh it’s almost like a big brother to me for uh for my first couple years. Uh Dan Bole taught me to to really play with a chip on on my shoulder and uh you know I watched that guy you know his career undrafted and um never really given a chance in his first organization to turn it into one of the best defenseman in the league and I just love the way that he went about it. So, and then Pav, same thing. Never never never was given anything that a seventh round pick that uh had to prove himself and uh had an incredible career. So, so many different players um with different stories, you know, you know, from the first overall, second overall to guys that were undrafted or seventh rounders and just watching them go about their day-to-day business was uh was special. And I I picked up little things from them along the way. and uh all the way from day one of my career to the end of my career, I was uh trying to implement things that I learned from them. It’s kind of amazing though to see and I I guess we it happens so often we take it for granted, but a young guy enters the league, he’s so far from home and you get dropped into this place that you don’t really know and you have a group of guys that kind of act as your your big brothers. Um you know what at what point for you did did San Jose become home? Like obviously you’re still out there now. Um is that a place you think you’ll remain? Yeah, for the next little while. We’ll see. I mean obviously we didn’t plan that my career would be be over right now. We thought we had a few more years left at least. But uh my wife’s from here, my kids are are born here. Um my oldest is starting g daycare here in in August pretty soon. So commitment is here for the next little while and then uh try to figure out what uh I’m going to do with my life in the next uh couple years and uh we’ll go from there. So you you led me perfectly to my my next question which is what are you going to do? I mean just listening to you like I’m jacked up listening to the the competitive nature that you have. Obviously that isn’t going to leave you. So how do you find a way to to figure out what the next iteration of of Logan Couture is? We’ll see. I mean, I I’ve been thinking about it lately, obviously, but uh you know, probably probably stick around in hockey in some capacity, I’m guessing. I don’t know. Um we’ll see what uh I know careers is has told me that if I I had an interest, then uh you know, there’d be an opportunity here in San Jose. And right now, I think just I’m taking some some time away. when you’re injured and and you can’t play you, at least for me, I mean, you start to lose the love a little bit of of hockey just because of what your body’s going through. And, you know, I really struggle with that for for a little while. So, I think giving myself some space from the game for a little bit will will make me fall in love with it again. I mean, I can’t turn, you know, nights. I’m watching the Stanley the Cup playoffs every night. I watch almost every single game. It’s the best game to watch in my opinion. you know, I watch some NBA games and then I watch some NHL games and the it’s way different. Um, so I love hockey and uh once I find that drive again, I’m sure it’ll be soon. Uh, I’m sure I’ll be back doing something. As you kind of sift through that, did you ever see yourself as more of a a guy that was in tune with the coaching staff or the team building side? Like, is there something that you would lean toward? I’m not sure. I mean, I don’t know about coaching. It’d be tough. if I see uh I see what they struggle with. You know, the last couple years I’ve spent a lot of time with our our coaches and uh yeah, I don’t know. We’ll see. Interesting. Yeah. I mean, I figure even if you I guess fall out of love a little bit with hockey, the fact that you’re still watching kind of shows how much it’s ingrained in you, isn’t it? Yeah, exactly. There you go. Well, Logan, really appreciate the conversation and the time. Uh congratulations on a fantastic career. I’m sorry that it it ends on these terms, but always great to catch up with you and I have zero doubt that we will be seeing you in the rink at some point soon. Cool. Thanks, Frank. Remind me to never play cards or a game of Monopoly with Logan Couture. I mean, to hear about the passion that he has, the compete level that he has in just about everything. Uh, man, that’s a special quality to have. uh to talk to talk about the idea of dreaming to get your name etched on the Stanley Cup and and how difficult that journey is to get there and to find that passion every single night during the Stanley Cup playoffs when you’reund and some of those games in no nights off out of Logan Couture and that’s certainly something that we’ll remember him by with his career now being on the other end of it. Well, I think it’s going to be fascinating to see where Couture ends up next. What he ends up doing, whether he seemed to pour some cold water on the coaching side, maybe it’s on the development side, maybe it’s as a scout, maybe it’s in management, or maybe it’s in some other walk of life where that compete will certainly serve him well. I hope he finds what he’s looking for soon at 36. Uh really just getting going um in terms of what’s next for him. He’s got so many great years ahead and I hope his body heals up with some non-hockey specific training, some uh no days of skating in his future that things will maybe come back together for him a little bit. I know some other guys who have retired have had some similar experiences where if you give it enough time off, you start to slowly feel a little bit normal again. And I think that’s all we can hope for for these guys who put their bodies on the line night in and night out. and I really appreciate his time and uh openness in discussing some of those things that can be really difficult to go there from both a physical and a mental perspective. What we ask in as fans of hockey for these guys to do on a nightly basis should not be lost on anyone. So congratulations again to Logan Couture on a fantastic career and thanks a lot for joining us on this week’s edition of Frankly Speaking presented by Bway. If you’re going to place a bet, bet on Between 19 Plus, please play responsibly. What’s up, hockey fans? If you enjoyed that video, then you need to be hitting the subscribe button right here at Daily Face Off, exclusive interviews and analysis from our hockey insider, Frank Saraveali, fantasy updates from Brock Sagen, and a daily live show at noon Eastern, Monday through Friday. You don’t want to miss any of the fantastic content, so hit that subscribe button.

Logan Couture joins Frankly Speaking for his first in-depth interview since announcing his retirement from the NHL. The longtime San Jose Sharks captain opens up about the devastating injury that ended his career, the mental and physical toll of years battling through pain, and what it’s like to say goodbye to the only life he’s ever known.

Couture walks us through his final game in Anaheim, the emotional weight of watching from the sidelines, and the challenge of letting go when your body says it’s over — but your heart still wants to play. He reflects on his playoff legacy, the Sharks’ deep runs, and the teammates who shaped him, from Joe Thornton to Patrick Marleau.

Plus, Logan shares what might be next in his hockey journey, why he had to step away from the game to find the joy again, and how he’s learning to be a dad, not just a captain.

🔹 What really happened during Logan’s final NHL season?
🔹 How close was he to a comeback?
🔹 What does life after hockey look like?

Don’t miss this raw and heartfelt conversation with one of the most clutch playoff performers of his era.

Timestamps:
00:00 – Intro
02:20 – What were the emotions like for you?
03:20 – When did the injury happen?
05:45 – Were there any other options?
06:35 – What’s normal day-to-day life like for you now?
07:25 – What was the mental side of this injury like?
09:00 – What went through your head prior to making the announcement?
11:00 – How did the Sharks support you through this?
12:00 – Did you spend any time around the team?
13:20 – What are you most proud of in your career?
16:00 – Who did you rely on in the Sharks locker room?
17:50 – At what point did San Jose become home?
18:30 – What’s next for you?
20:25 – Outro

#NHL #LoganCouture #SJSharks #SanJoseSharks #SharksHockey #HockeyRetirement #FranklySpeaking #NHLPlayoffs #JoeThornton #PatrickMarleau #NHLVeteran #PlayerPerspective #HockeyLife

Brought to you by: @betway
#BetTheResponsibleWay #BetwayCanada
ON Only/ Must be 19+ to play.

Betway Promo | https://betway.com/bwp/franklyspeaking/en-ca/

Reach out to sales@thenationnetwork.com to connect with our Sales Team and discuss opportunities to partner with us!

If you liked this, check out:
🚨 OTT – Coming in Hot Sens | https://www.youtube.com/c/thewallyandmethotshow
🚨 TOR – LeafsNation | https://www.youtube.com/@theleafsnation401
🚨 EDM – OilersNation | https://www.youtube.com/@Oilersnationdotcom
🚨 VAN – CanucksArmy | https://www.youtube.com/@Canucks_Army
🚨 CGY – FlamesNation | https://www.youtube.com/@Flames_Nation
🚨 Daily Faceoff Fantasy & Betting | www.youtube.com/@DFOFantasyandBetting
____________________________________________________________________________________________

Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/daily_faceoff

💻 Website: https://www.dailyfaceoff.com
https://www.twitter.com/@DailyFaceoff
https://www.facebook.com/dailyfaceoff
https://www.instagram.com/dailyfaceoff
🎙 SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/show/6JYsKEP…
🎙 APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast…
____________________________________________________________________________________________

#interview #frankseravalli #dailyfaceoff #nhl #LoganCouture #Hockey