VANCOUVER – Taliyah Ewing and her family made the mad dash across Rogers Arena when they received a text message with the location where dozens were gathered to greet the only National Hockey League player from the Yukon Territory.
Amid the throng of proud family, friends and fans, Ewing’s younger sister, Braelyn, spotted Dylan Cozens, the 21-year-old from Whitehorse who had just helped the Buffalo Sabres skate off with a 3-2 overtime victory over the Canucks.
Taliyah, 9, sobbed when she realized that the long trip from Dawson City, a town 330 miles northwest of Whitehorse, near the Yukon's border with Alaska, was going to bring her face-to-face with Cozens. There were tears of joy as Cozens signed her Sabres hat and new white Adidas tennis shoes.
“It’s crazy that I can have that impact on people,” Cozens recalled following a recent practice in Buffalo. “I don’t really see myself as someone who can have that affect. But I guess just going back to the Yukon, and being from the area, there's a lot of people that look up to me, and sometimes I don't really think about that too much. But to see that in real life, it's pretty cool.”
To the surprise of Cozens and his parents, Mike and Sue, his improbable journey from the family’s backyard rink to the NHL has already included 103 games with the Sabres. Yet the fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic prevented Cozens and other rookies from experiencing a true season in 2020-21.
His second season has been a real introduction to life in the NHL, packed with games against the 31 other teams in sold-out buildings. Equipped with untapped potential and a fiery competitiveness, Cozens has used his position on the ice and in the dressing room to be a catalyst for change in the organization. His work with the rest of the Sabres' young core and the team's experienced players has forged a familylike bond that's withstood their numerous encounters with adversity.
And from Buffalo to Western Canada, there have been reunions such as the one in Vancouver, where more than 50 people from the Yukon and British Columbia gathered to see Cozens show that he's up to the challenge in the NHL.
“We’re going to the game tonight, and I’m thinking, ‘Wow, in three years, this has all happened,” Mike Cozens said before his son’s first game in Vancouver on March 20. “You have to stand back sometimes and take a look to get the right perspective. Because when you're in the middle of it, sometimes you forget what an amazing thing this is.”
'Best teammate'
A fierce wind swept through Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton, Ont., as the 26,119 fans withstanding the bitter conditions saw Cozens finish a clean check on Toronto Maple Leafs superstar Auston Matthews at center ice that further galvanized the Sabres and surprised no one who saw Cozens play in the years leading up to his selection seventh overall by Buffalo at the 2019 draft in Vancouver.
Cozens delivered the hit on the off-balance Hart Trophy candidate in response to a vicious cross check on Rasmus Dahlin. The gesture infuriated Maple Leafs forward Michael Bunting, who chased after Cozens in a melee that caused each to receive a game misconduct.
And when the Sabres' celebration began following their 5-2 win at the Heritage Classic on national television, Cozens was standing on the other side of the glass cheering them on.
“The best teammate you can have,” Dahlin beamed. “Obviously, we all know how skilled he is and what a great player he is. But he’s a teammate. Everyone wants a guy like that on your team. He can do it all. He battles out there. He fights some days. He scores. He’s tough to play against. Whenever he’s on the ice I’m feeling comfortable.”
Even a superstar such as Matthews isn’t excluded from the guiding principles Cozens follows. He was taught at a young age that if anyone needs help, on the ice, at school or elsewhere in life, the correct response is to help. And Cozens hasn’t avoided conflict since he made his NHL debut without fans in KeyBank Center on Jan. 14, 2021.
When New York Rangers defenseman Ryan Liligren turned to intimidation after he collided with Cozens in Madison Square Garden last March, Cozens accepted the challenge and threw a flurry of right-handed punches. When Rangers forward Kevin Rooney checked Kyle Okposo from behind later in the season, Cozens took exception and defended his teammate with another physical altercation.
There are numerous examples of Cozens’ fierce competitiveness, though none received as much attention as the hit on Matthews. He's unapologetically going to play through each whistle. It's a trait beloved and shared by others on his team. But it’s the burning desire to be the best that fuels and frustrates Cozens, and excites Sabres teammates, coaches and management.
“I don’t think he’s enjoying the process yet because he just puts too much pressure on himself, he does,” said Sabres coach Don Granato. “He puts extreme pressure on himself, and he wants to be three years ahead of where he is sometimes. The good in that far exceeds any negative. With Dylan, everything matters to him, and that is a separator from the high-end guys in this league.”
Buffalo Sabres player Dylan Cozens celebrates a goal by Victor Olofsson against the Vegas Golden Knights March 10 at KeyBank Center.
Flashes of Cozens’ immense skill and potential are seen every night, from his exceptionally fast skating stride to the uncanny instincts with the puck. Additional lower-body strength and knowledge have led to more consistency. He was on a 20-goal pace at the All-Star break and has scored 12 goals with 31 points through 62 games.
Cozens has centered a top-six line for much of the season, averaging 15:53 of ice time, and he’s had success defending some of the league’s best centermen. But Cozens wants more and with one goal in mind: bringing playoff hockey to Buffalo.
“I'm super competitive, and I want to be at my best right now,” he said with a laugh. “I don't want to just build off that even more. I know I still have a lot more to give, and I know I'm not even near my ceiling right now. And, you know, it's frustrating, because I want to be there. I want to be the best I can be right now. At same time, I’ve got to just take a step back and realize I'm 21 years old playing in the best league in the world.
“I'm not going to go out and dominate every night. Maybe in a few years I will and that's something that I believe I can achieve. And I believe I will achieve.”
Childhood dream
Taliyah Ewing was 2 years old when she first put on skates, determined to keep up with her older sister, Teagan. And Taliyah was on her way to achieving that goal when Dawson City’s hockey season ended that March with the annual closing of the town's only public rink, which operates five months each year beginning in October.
Hockey’s hold on Taliyah led her to start playing on a team at 5 years old and the family’s erected a backyard rink soon thereafter.
“A lot of parents ask if she was born on skates,” Lynette Peterson, Taliyah’s mother, said.
The love for the game grew with the realization that hockey dreams can be achieved by anyone, no matter how many indoor rinks or organized leagues their town has. And Taliyah’s goal-setting reached new heights when she first saw Cozens, who made history when he became the first person from Whitehorse to play in the NHL.
Taliyah laid on the floor of the family’s living room watching Cozens represent Canada at the IIHF World Junior Championship. He helped the country win a gold medal in 2020 and captained the team to silver with a record-setting tournament in 2021 that included eight goals and 16 points in seven games. Taliyah was gifted a Sabres jersey with a Cozens nameplate and No. 24 for her ninth birthday, which she had signed by her hockey hero and wore with pride to the game in Vancouver.
“It’s pretty amazing and definitely lets kids know that they can make it,” said Peterson. “Even having three girls, Taliyah and Braelyn talk about playing for Team Canada or in the NHL someday.”
Sabres center Dylan Cozens hands an autographed hat to Taliyah Ewing following a game in Vancouver on March 20.
Cozens’ story of perseverance is why people from across the Yukon Territory traveled to Edmonton, Calgary and Vancouver to watch his first NHL games in Western Canada. He didn’t grow up in a hockey hotbed that produced numerous professional players. Like Taliyah and countless others, his passion and talent grew organically on the Yukon's outdoor ice and while playing with his friends in recreational leagues.
There were no signs of dominance from Cozens when he was first learning the game. He wasn’t the star of his team at 8 years old and, according to his youth hockey coach, Martin Lawrie, didn’t really start to turn heads until he was 12 years old. Competition required long trips to tournaments over the years, as Whitehorse’s best had to fly elsewhere to face their peers.
With the NHL in mind, Cozens always sought ways to improve. At 12, he competed against men in a rec league, where he broke a leg. Two years later, Cozens left home for Delta Hockey Academy in Delta, British Columbia, and later spent a season at Yukon Hockey Academy in nearby Abbotsford.
“He was so focused that this is what he wanted to do,” Sue Bogle, Cozens’ mother, said. “Of course, it was hard when he left home at that age, but we just didn't want any regrets. And we wanted to see him reach that full potential. If it didn’t work out, at least he knew we tried. And he knew he tried. So that's what made it worthwhile. And we're always there for him.”
'Homegrown kid'
Cozens had little time to greet the family and friends gathered in Vancouver before the Sabres’ buses departed for the airport. He took the elevator to the section where his parents and brothers, Luke and Connor, were gathered with childhood friends, teammates and coaches.
When Cozens arrived, he was astonished by the crowd that awaited. Dozens were there to wish him well – 21 Yukoners watched the game from a suite – and say hello. He signed autographs and posed for photos, making time for each person who made the trip as a show of support.
Cozens is beloved because achieving the dream hasn’t changed the values that got him to the NHL. When back home, he still enjoys all that life has to offer in the Yukon, particularly the outdoors. Cozens trains in the elements there just as his mother does. Sue ran in the New York City Marathon in November.
“It was no different than each year that he'd come home to Whitehorse,” said Lawrie, recalling the postgame scene in Vancouver. “As soon as he gets around everyone, he's one of the guys with a smile on his face and the only difference is he signed a few autographs between the conversations he was having.”
The first sign of support in Vancouver occurred during warmups, as Sabres jerseys, many with Cozens’ No. 24, lined the glass. There were cheers in response to goals by Buffalo. And when Cozens received a roughing penalty, Taliyah ran down to the penalty box to get her photo taken on the other side of the glass from Cozens, who sat stoically with his eyes fixated on the play.
Buffalo Sabres center Dylan Cozens (24) battles for position in front of Columbus Blue Jackets goaltender Elvis Merzlikins (90) Feb. 10 KeyBank Center.
In Calgary, Cozens’ billet parents from Lethbridge, Kevin and Deanna Rath, put their Flames fanhood aside to cheer for him and the Sabres. Cozens’ grandmother, cousins and uncle were also there to visit with him after the game. His parents have traveled to watch many of his games this season.
And as he continues to learn and inch closer to his potential while competing against the world’s best, his fans – including the support system that got him here – will be there watching from near and far.
“He's very proud to be from the Yukon and to represent the Yukon,” said Mike Cozens. “Yukon people are proud that a homegrown kid is doing it in the NHL. We’ve produced a lot of really good athletes over the years. … But hockey is just something I think that for some people it’s just different. It's so entrenched in the Canadian psyche.
"And we've had some good hockey players, but Dylan being the one that's kind of broken that barrier and stayed as the first. He’s a local kid that hangs around, fishes and did regular Yukon things growing up. I think people are quite proud of that.”
