Cooke Suspended 2 Games

Matt Bodenschatz | Pittsburgh Penguins

Nov 29, 11:30 PM | Hype this story!

TSN is reporting that Pittsburgh Penguins forward Matt Cooke has been suspended for two games following a questionable hit in Saturday’s 8-3 win over the New York Rangers.

The hit in question was called as interference and Cooke served the two minute penalty. Later, several Rangers, notably Donald Brashear, took revenge for the hit, which saw center Artem Anisimov take the brunt of it to his head.

Comments

  1. Casey

    Nov 30, 12:59 AM

    I thought it was a clean hit. What are they saying? He left his feet?

    Nothing for Avery jumping Feds?

  2. Ray aka WildcatRay

    Nov 30, 12:59 AM

    How can this be justified after NOT suspending Mike Richards for his clearly more vicious hit on David Booth?!?!?

  3. DaBich

    Nov 30, 06:38 AM

    This is just more BS…how sad this makes the league look.

  4. Pens1967

    Nov 30, 09:51 AM

    It’s fine for the league to crack down on hits to the head, but it should be done uniformly and not solely to players with a “reputation” like Cooke, Ruutu, etc.

  5. Matt Bodenschatz

    Nov 30, 10:08 AM

    The way I see it, this was a suspendable offense. Cooke has a suspension history, is known as a borderline player, and hit a player up high.

    The problem is the inconsistent nature of these suspensions. Cooke’s record makes him more likely to be suspended — but if a player like Mike Richards never gets suspended for similar hits simply because he doesn’t have a record, how will he get a record? In other words, by what the league is saying through their actions, the only way to get suspended is if you are someone known for these types of things.

    I disagree with this entirely. What’s dirty for one is dirty for another. What’s clean for one is clean for another. I don’t care if the name is Cooke, Avery, Crosby, or Ovechkin. The rules should be the same for everyone.

  6. DaBich

    Nov 30, 12:30 PM

    This is where the league fails, Matt. It’s not fair in meting out punishment. Richards should most definitely have gotten several games. Heck, Booth is still out.

  7. Ray aka WildcatRay

    Nov 30, 01:23 PM

    Let us also not forget that Bettman is a protege of NBA Commish David Stern. Rather than mete out punishment based on some equitably-applied standard, it will be done in a manner that best serves the interests of the league and its owners. Fans come to see Richards, not Cooke. Need I say more?

  8. Ben Schmidt

    Nov 30, 02:29 PM

    Cooke’s hit was suspension-worthy, but it does annoy me that there is a different standard for star players than there is for other players.

    That said, I don’t find the suspensions quite so random, ever since I saw the flow chart from Down Goes Brown: http://www.downgoesbrown.com/2009/11/nhl-suspensions.html

    Every suspension since that was published has followed the flow chart perfectly!

  9. Moq

    Nov 30, 04:06 PM

    It still offends me that Richards avoided punishment for his “hit” on Booth. Even move vicious and intentional as anything ever tried by Cooke and other agitators.

    But judged on the event alone, Cooke deserved a suspension. There’s no reason to have hits like that in the league.

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