Matt Cooke facing lengthy suspension…for being Matt Cooke.
Jun 5, 2013; Boston, MA, USA; Boston Bruins defenseman
Johnny Boychuk(55) tries to clear the puck away from Pittsburgh Penguins left wing
Matt Cooke(24) during the third period in game three of the Eastern Conference finals of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports
For all of us who bleed black and gold, there are players that we all ‘love to hate’. A lot of Bruins fans aren’t fans of PK Subban. (Montreal fans return that vitriol right back in earnest over most of our team.) There are players though that aren’t just loathed by Bruins fans, but are seen as a nuisance to the game of hockey and as someone who is a detriment to good play. The number one player on that list is Matt Cooke. While we’ve been told that he’s cleaned up his game, the player that did his best to ruin the career of Marc Savard has once again shown his true colors.
If you haven’t seen it yet: (Cooke cooks Barrie)
Cooke decides to make a bee-line for Tyson Barrie here. The announcer gets it right. It was deliberate knee to knee contact. That hit removed Barrie out of the play, out of the game, and very likely out of the rest of the postseason. Once again, the NHL’s resident cheap-shot artist has done severe damage to a player and serious hurt to the Colorado Avalanche’s chances. Colorado will now be without the services of Barrie for several rounds of the playoffs. Barrie grabbed his knee after going down and was unable to put any pressure on his left leg. He limped off the ice and didn’t return.
Avalanche coach Patrick Roy told reporters after the game that Barrie has a sprained MCL and will miss four to six weeks.
The NHL’s department of player safety announced this morning that it is offering Cooke an in-person hearing for his actions. Stephane Qunital has only had the job for a matter of days, and it feels like that he has already missed one major call this season. (That call would be the cup check hit by Milan Lucic in game one of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals.) This is his chance to make up for that bad call (I hate saying this, but it was an intent to injure hit on Danny DeKeyser) by throwing the entire library at someone who has made a habit out of ruining people’s careers and lives.