The first date was when Matt Cooke flew at Marc Savard from the Bruins center's blind side to deliver a vicious elbow to his temple. The second date was when Cooke skated free, as Colin Campbell ruled that he just couldn't find any specific rule violation to suspend Cooke for his obviously dirty hit.
A year later, things should be very, very different. The key word, however, is should.
Cooke lined up Rangers forward Ryan McDonagh on Sunday afternoon on national television, delivering a late, dirty and dangerous elbow to the head. Immediately, it was understood that Cooke will be facing a suspension. The only question is how long.
Thanks to Rule 48, which was instituted as a response to Cooke's hit on Savard, the play is now illegal. The early signs point to Cooke getting a larger suspension than the four-game ban he was handed for a hit from behind in February, as he is scheduled for an in-person hearing with the NHL on Monday afternoon. The fact that he's required to meet with the league in person means he can be suspended for more than five games, which is the maximum punishment for a phone hearing.
Yet, it's how many games beyond five that will show just how serious this league is about eliminating that play from the game — and subsequently eliminating the game's biggest offender.
The precedent is there for a long ban of Cooke. First-time or rare offenders Shane Doan, Joe Thornton, Olli Jokinen, Matt Martin, Tom Kostopoulous, Mike Brown, Daniel Paille, Dany Heatley and Brad Marchand were all given penalties for similar hits, suspensions that ranged from two to six games. But Cooke is anything but a first-time offender. He's been suspended four times already. In fact, he is the very reason that all of those guys got suspended this year, and he is the poster boy for Rule 48.
The time to crack down is now.
If the league wants to maintain its image as one that denounces unnecessary and dirty hits and cares deeply about head injuries, it's time to hand down the biggest suspension of the season. Four games in February did nothing to slow down Cooke, and anything in single digits this time around will have the same result. The longest suspensions handed down to any player this season were for 10 games (though one was mandated by NHL rules and there was no decision-making involved). It's time to eclipse that number.
The Penguins have 10 games left to play. They currently sit in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, but Tampa Bay and Montreal are right on their tail. They'll need to play well down the stretch, but Cooke does not deserve the opportunity to help them. He passed that up on Sunday.
Interestingly enough, Cooke had a big, white "A" stitched on his chest when he delivered the elbow to McDonagh. An alternate captain is supposed to be a leader, a player who represents and can speak for the entire organization when he's on the ice. The organization that Cooke represented on Sunday is one whose owner, Mario Lemieux, has spoken out vehemently against dirty hits in an effort to clean up the game. It's an organization whose superstar center and captain, Sidney Crosby, hasn't played in months, thanks to a concussion, and may or may not be able to help his team make a run at the Stanley Cup.
What Cooke represents is a player who has shown no remorse, as evidenced by his unwillingness to change his ways. An eight-game ban won't do anything. A 10-game ban won't, either. The league needs to send its biggest message yet — 15 games, which would extend into the playoffs.
Some people are calling for Cooke to be booted from the NHL for life. Others want him banned for the entirety of the season. Cases could be made for both arguments, but reality dictates that neither will ever happen. A 15-game ban (or more) shows that the NHL means what it says, that it won't stand for unnecessary head injuries, and that it won't allow repeat offenders to continue to mar the game with dirty plays.
How should the NHL punish Matt Cooke? Share your thoughts below.
