Hockey Thoughts: Milk and Cookies

Is Matt Cooke a dirty player?  That was the question of the night on Tuesday.  Surely it was meant as a rhetorical question.

I'm not a big supporter of the "repeat offender" rule when it comes to doling out supplementary discipline, but when answering a question about a player's overall nature and/or playing style, I think it's perfectly acceptable to look at their track record.  The answer for Cooke is indisputable.

Ignoring his long history of being a first class ass hole (2 suspensions per season the last three seasons, and several other incidents that should have led to suspensions if not for Campbell's ineptitude) still leads one to conclude that he's, well...a first class ass hole.  In just the previous twelve months or so he's been responsible for the prelude to what is possibly a career-ending injury (to Savard of the Bruins) plus many additional hits that can only be called dirty.  Twice in as many games (Sunday and Tuesday) he hit with the intent to injure.  First was the knee on Ovechkin then came the ambush from behind against the boards on Tyutin.  Here's hoping Tyutin isn't hurt.  Ovechkin didn't seem to be.  Cooke is lucky in both instances.

In fact, his hit on Savard was THE driving factor behind the creation of "Rule 48," also known as the "hits to the head" rule.  If a professional sports league has to create a rule just for you I think the label of "troublemaker" is more than justified.  See also: Sean Avery.

No team should put up with a player like Matt Cooke.  They should not make excuses for his play, and they shouldn't coddle that behavior.  The primary responsibility for stopping this type of behavior should fall on the coach and the teammates of said "ass hole."  The "he was responding to X" line of reasoning doesn't work, boys.  They teach you as a child that two wrongs don't make a right.  Respond within the rules of the game or get off the ice.

And while no team should quietly condone plays like the ones Matt Cooke makes, Pittsburgh in particular at this very moment can't.  Not after the fit they've pitched about Crosby's concussion.  The hockey media has done their part in the hours immediately following the Tyutin hit to condemn Matt Cooke.  I want to see Bylsma do the same.  Nothing less will do.

And if the league is serious about Rule 48, they need to enforce it on it's inspiration.