The NHL needs to come down hard on a player, and after his elbow Sunday, Matt Cooke fits the bill.
The question is, who gets to Matt Cooke first, NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell or Pittsburgh Penguins owner Mario Lemieux?
Regardless of who it is, Cooke had better be dealt with harshly this time -- to the tune of 10 games, minimum. That would cover the 10 remaining games the Penguins have in the regular season. If the league wants to put an exclamation point on its punishment of this repeat offender, it could extend the suspension to include a couple of playoff games. I doubt anybody would mind.
The NHL's most reckless player was up to his dastardly worst Sunday afternoon when he smashed New York Rangers defenceman Ryan McDonagh in the head with a blatant elbow. It was a despicable and flagrant play by a player with a long history of deliberately trying to injure opponents. Cooke was given a five-minute major for elbowing and was ejected from the game at 4:36 of the third period in a 5-2 loss to the Rangers.
Cooke, 32, has been suspended once already this season -- four games for a hit from behind on Fedor Tyutin of the Columbus Blue Jackets -- as well as three other times in his 12-year career. Two of those previous suspensions were for head shots: two games in 2008-09 for a shot to the head of Scott Walker of the Carolina Hurricanes and two more games in 2009-10 for a head shot against Artem Anisimov of the Rangers.
The Belleville, Ont., native went unpunished for his most vicious act, a deliberate blindside hit on Marc Savard of the Boston Bruins in March of 2010. The league ruled it was a legal hit, but it should have nailed Cooke for deliberate attempt to injure. Savard has since been concussed again and his career is in jeopardy and the genesis of his troubles are the Cooke hit.
The NHL is under heavy fire for being too lenient in dealing with those who have no regard for the rules of the game or the safety of their opponents. In fact, the league's 30 general managers spent considerable time talking about concussions and how to eliminate head shots during meetings in Florida last week. It is generally agreed head shots are a curse to the sport, so perhaps making an example of Cooke, the poster child for reckless behavior, would make a statement the league is serious about changing the culture of the game.
Thursday on Sportsnet: Concussions in the NHL have nearly doubled this season, affecting more than 10 per cent of the league's players. From the NHL to minor hockey, there is public outcry for action. On Thursday, March 24 we respond with "A Rogers Sportsnet Special - Crisis on Ice?" -- a national conversation on the issue of serious injuries in hockey. | Premiere: East/Ont 7 p.m. ET, West 9 p.m. MT, Pacific 7 p.m. PT
What is particularly fascinating is the fact Lemieux recently wrote a letter to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman protesting the league's handling of a fight-filled game between his team and the New York Islanders. Lemieux was harshly criticized by many for speaking out of one side of his mouth while employing Cooke, one of the most dangerous players in the game.
Lemieux wrote: "On behalf of the Pittsburgh Penguins organization I am writing to propose a discussion by the Board of Governors and general managers about the NHL's current system of supplementary discipline -- and how it affects not only the integrity, but the perception of our great game. The current system punished the offending player, but does very little to deter such actions in the future. We need to review, upgrade and more clearly define our policies in this regard so that they can provide a meaningful deterrence and effectively clean up the game."
If Lemieux is serious about the NHL cleaning up its act, perhaps he can set an example by sitting Cooke down. That is not likely to happen, but at the very least, Lemieux should be supportive of the league issuing a major suspension.
Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma expects the NHL to take action against his player.
"I don't think you can talk about eliminating head shots in the game, as we have, without expecting (the Cooke hit) to get examined," Bylsma said.
The sad thing is, Cooke can play the game. He has a respectable 12 goals and 30 points in 67 games this season and is plus-12. This on the heels of a 15-goal, 30-point season a year ago during in which he was plus-17. But all that people talk about is the fact he is the NHL's biggest cheap-shot artist.
The NHL had a golden opportunity to make a statement earlier this week when Boston Bruins rookie Brad Marchand deliberately elbowed R.J. Umberger of the Blue Jackets in the head but suspended him for just two games. That suspension sent no message whatsoever.
The eyes of the hockey world will be on the NHL's hockey operations department to see how it handles the latest Cooke catastrophe. Anything shy of a major suspension (minimum 10 games) will not be met with support.
