NHL’s Colin Campbell: Matt Cooke Hit on Marc Savard Was ‘Shoulder to Head’

NHL head disciplinarian Colin Campbell told The Fan 590 in Toronto on Monday that he did not believe that Penguins forward Matt Cooke‘s elbow made contact with Marc Savard‘s head in the questionable hit Cooke made on Savard in the Bruins’ 2-1 loss at Pittsburgh on Sunday. Savard was diagnosed with a Grade 2 concussion following the hit.

In an interview on Prime Time Sports With Bob McCown, Campbell disagreed with McCown’s claim that Cooke’s elbow was involved and classified the hit as “shoulder to head.”

So Campbell didn’t see Cooke’s elbow hitting Savard’s head?

“No. Not at all,” Campbell told McCown and co-host Stephen Brunt. “We just watched it for about an hour and a half, about eight of us.”

Cooke has already been suspended from the NHL this season for a similar hit, but Campbell’s “shoulder to head” assessment would indicate that he may not come down as hard on Cooke in terms of the number of games he’ll suspend him. Or he could just be defending the referee’s decision not to call a penalty for elbowing.

Whatever the case, Campbell has indicated that he will make a decision by the Penguins’ next game on Thursday.

Take a listen to Campbell’s full interview here. He addresses the incident at the 8:30 and
11:25 marks.