Matt Cooke's Punishment raises questoins

Matt Cooke put the Penguins organization in a really tough spot, with the playoffs looming right around the corner, with his latest calamity against Ryan McDonagh of the New York Rangers. Cooke's cheap shot to McDonagh's head has gotten him in a heap of trouble, again. All involved with the Penguins agree with the NHL's severe punishment to Cooke, who was suspended for the remainder of the regular season (10 games) and the first round in the Stanley Cup playoffs.


Penguins GM, Ray Shero is among those who back the league. He issued this statement, "The suspension is warranted because that's exactly the kind of hit we're trying to get out of the game. Head shots have no place in hockey. We've told Matt in no uncertain terms that this kind of action on the ice is unacceptable and cannot happen. Head shots must be dealt with severely, and the Pittsburgh Penguins support the NHL in sending this very strong message."

Cooke needed to be dealt with, there's no question about that. However there's been some talk about his suspension being a bit overdone. Especially with the first round of the playoffs being thrown in there. He's been the number one poster boy for illegal hits to the head and their biggest offender. The league has him where they want him. The NHL drew the line and made their statement, loud and clear. I can't disagree with that. But I wonder...

With Cooke finally nailed to the wall, is it fair to say the NHL used a little extra weight to make a statement against the Penguins to get their point across? It's an interesting thought.

Whether this is true or not, I'd like to see the same heavy handed approach carried out against any and all future offenders regardless of their past afflictions. If banning the majority of head shots and ensuing the safety of the players is the league's main goal moving forward then the intent of a hit or the number of illegal hits a player has under his belt shouldn't really matter.


Yes, Cooke should have been suspended and taken care of. For how long exactly, I'm not so sure. However, this may be just me, but I find it a little hard to fathom then, that these unintentional or clean hits from other players like Zdeno Chara and David Steckel are left go, even when these hits have cause some major damage to the victims.


The best thing Matt Cooke can do now is to move forward and put every ounce of himself into finding a more balanced and safer way to play the game. When asked how he will gain back the respect of the players and the league, he said, "I just think that it's in my play, the way that I play. As I just said, my actions will speak louder than words. That's what matters most."

written by Lori Pometo