NHL Suspends Matt Cooke 7 Games For Hit On Avalanche’s Tyson Barrie

Minnesota Wild forward Matt Cooke, the NHL’s dirtiest player, was suspended for the sixth time in his career Wednesday.

Cooke received a seven-game ban for a dangerous knee-to-knee hit on Colorado Avalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie during Monday’s Game 3 in Minnesota.

The hit will force Barrie, who’s arguably Colorado’s best blueliner, to miss 4-6 weeks with an MCL injury.

Here’s the NHL’s official suspension video for the Cooke-Barrie incident. If the Wild are eliminated from the playoffs before Cooke serves the entire suspension, the remaining games will carry over to the 2014-15 regular season.

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This is Cooke’s first suspension since 2011, when he was banned 17 games for an elbow to the head of New York Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh. The Wild winger has been involved in a few other incidents over the last few years where a suspension could have been possible, including the play when he injured Ottawa Senators D-man Erik Karlsson last season.

Check out Cooke’s hit on Barrie in the GIF below, courtesy of @PeteBlackburn.

Thumbnail photo via Twitter/@YahooSports