Matt Cooke is trying to reform his game...Will it take?

by Hooks Orpik on Aug 24, 2011 8:01 AM EDT

Getting away from the Sidney Crosby rumors for a moment, Rob Rossi throws a great piece out about Matt Cooke that's the must read for the day.

"I've got this chance, and I need to look at it as an opportunity to show everybody that I can change my approach, that I can play within the rules. The rest of my career can be proving that it's possible to change. It has to be about that. There's no excuse for it not to be about that."

For his part, Cooke's always been complicated. You can't get away from his bad hits, you just can't. He's elbowed guys in the head. He's had knee-on-knee incidents. It's been his job, and coaches have engrained "finish your checks, finish your checks, piss the opposition off, forecheck, grind, finish your checks".

That's no excuse for hurting anyone though. And especially with seeing what's happened with Crosby and his concussion woes, Penguin fans understand better than anyone that no hockey player deserves to have to deal with head trauma. On the macro level that clearly means there should no place in the game for those that deliberately attempt to injure vulernable players.

Can Cooke change? He's said in the article that he's watched 20 hours of film, "learning" how to deliver proper and legal hits. He's been through counciling. Cooke knows his next bad hit will likely be his last, the league will not stand for that and neither will the Penguins.

But for on-ice desipicible Matt Cooke, there's also another side. The family man. The guy who showed up in Altoona this week and signed autographs for an extra hour past his 90 minute session, just to guarantee he wouldn't turn any fans away. Matt Cooke is not a monster, he has just been trained to be an exceptionally good one on the ice.

On the ice is where Cooke will have to change. If you can put the bad hits aside, you can plainly see this is a guy capable of scoring 15 goals, 15 assists a season in the NHL- with excellent positional and penalty killing abilities. Get rid of the ugliness, and he's a useful, valuable player that could suit up on any NHL team.

Actions speak louder than words. And it's easy to say some words now in the summer. We'll really know in the split second moment when Cooke gets the opportunity to take a shot. Not with the puck, but when an opponent is in a vulnerable moment. Will be pounce, as he's done so many times before? Or can he show restraint and show the dignity of (almost) every other NHL player would.

It's only August and there's no telling if Cooke's only been brainwashed Sean Avery style or if the adjustment will truly take. Given what you know and how you're thinking, answer the poll and let's discuss in the comment section.

Poll

The "new" Matt Cooke in 2011-12 will....

Be alright. He knows he has to change and can adapt to be a solid citizen

95 votes

Not be a smooth ride. He'll try to change, but the jury's still out on the impulse plays.

143 votes

Fail. Just a matter of time before a bad hit and he plays himself out of the league.

35 votes

Who cares. I'm not a fan of the Penguins and Matt Cooke might as well be Osama bin Laden

8 votes

281 votes | Poll has closed

Tweet Comment 24 comments | 0 recs |

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Comments

Related Note:
Story about Matt Cooke & his lady’s battle with illness since the Winter Classic from the Trib.

Honestly, the fact that he kept all of that quiet all season? Wowza… Tell me now how you can hate this guy.

If Hell freezes over, I'll play hockey there too.

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by Alighieri on Aug 24, 2011 8:25 AM EDT reply actions

in other news, I am an idiot for jumping the gun before clicking on all the links in the article like a stupidhead….

If Hell freezes over, I'll play hockey there too.

Twitter

by Alighieri on Aug 24, 2011 8:26 AM EDT up reply actions

Reply first, read later..It’s the Pensburgh way

Pensburgh

"You come at the King, you best not miss."

by Hooks Orpik on Aug 24, 2011 9:45 AM EDT up reply actions

Reply first, read later..It’s the Pensburgh way

Jagr? I don't even know 'er.

by PopRocks on Aug 24, 2011 12:35 PM EDT up reply actions 3 recs

Stealing Hook’s lines after he said them & get credit for it… That’s also the Pensburgh way. =P

If Hell freezes over, I'll play hockey there too.

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by Alighieri on Aug 24, 2011 8:09 PM EDT up reply actions

I’d like to see a list of all his dirty plays side by side with those of Gordie Howe, Mark Messier, Scott Stevens, etc.

I can understand Boston fans being upset about the Savard hit but it wasn’t ilegal then. Scott Stevens is still a highlight reel of punishing hits are today they are infractions.

I think Matt is doing a good job of not telling the press where to go and what to do to themselves when they get there. Once he gets a clear picture of what is an infraction, he will break the rules when it is strategic for the team and not on a whim or accidentally.

by vodkasoda on Aug 24, 2011 8:28 AM EDT reply actions

I would have to agree. Cooke’s rap sheet is a mile long, but it’s got to be frustrating for him to basically get a season ending suspension (and one of the longer ones in NHL history) when other guys are getting 0, 1, 2 games for similar hits. Cooke has no room to say anything, so he hasn’t, but that’s sort of mystifying. Hopefully Shanahan will be a more reasonable dealer of justice than Campbell was.

Pensburgh

"You come at the King, you best not miss."

by Hooks Orpik on Aug 24, 2011 9:48 AM EDT up reply actions

If Cooke is truly serious about this, I think you might see him not really hit anybody as he tries to adjust his game. Thus I voted for the not a smooth ride option.

by SlayerGhaleon on Aug 24, 2011 8:42 AM EDT reply actions

I don’t know if Cooke can do that and stay in the lineup. Look at Bylsma’s gameplan- he demands that wingers do a lot of forechecking, a lot of tough work in the corners. If Cooke’s not physical, he’s not helping the team. If Cooke’s playing dirty, he’s not helping the team.

It’s all about walking the fine line of physical and spirited but still respectful and not dangerous.

Pensburgh

"You come at the King, you best not miss."

by Hooks Orpik on Aug 24, 2011 9:46 AM EDT up reply actions

OT but can we...

briefly talk about Ballards chop, I mean, hip checks? Remember the one he did on Geno? If he wants to learn how to hip check properly, he can easily give Rob Blake a call.

Then again, you don’t have to worry about concussions when someone takes out your knees and you snap your neck…sooo…

Anyway, it’s only a matter of time before Cooke slips up and that’s the truth.

by Geno McFleury on Aug 24, 2011 11:16 AM EDT reply actions

I would have to go back and watch the video (which I can’t do right now) but did Ballard really low-bridge Malkin? It might have been questionable, but from memory I don’t think it was bad. Just a nasty looking spill that sent Geno flying through the air.

And it didn’t damage Malkin ~~-I can’t remember Ballard ever causing an injury off the top of my head~~- so I don’t think he’s really a habitual low hitter. Bodies and suspensions would have piled up by now. (Not to mention beatings)

Pensburgh

"You come at the King, you best not miss."

by Hooks Orpik on Aug 24, 2011 11:39 AM EDT up reply actions

It’s the fact that he gets so low to the oppopent that he ends up taking out his knees, that is not a hip check. He’s got Malkin with his “hip check” a couple of times but the one I am referring to is the one where Sid fights Ballard after it.

I don’t think it is called against him a lot because it is hard to judge and there are other issues to worry about but if I was skating down the ice and someone took out my knees..I’d be pissed. Some of them are nice but then again some of them are straight chop shots.

by Geno McFleury on Aug 24, 2011 12:22 PM EDT up reply actions

How many knees has Ballard taken out? The art of the hip check is dying and, again from memory, I don’t know that he criminally low-bridged Malkin or anyone else.

Pensburgh

"You come at the King, you best not miss."

by Hooks Orpik on Aug 24, 2011 12:25 PM EDT up reply actions

I can’t remember Ballard ever causing an injury off the top of my head

It may be crossed out, but tell that to Tomas Vokoun. haha

by The Malk-Man on Aug 24, 2011 5:52 PM EDT up reply actions

I call for Cooke’s head as frequently as anyone for the hits that he has to know are dangerous (the first, second, third you can make an excuse for, but by the time you get to chronic suspensions, he just has to know better). At the same time, I can completely separate that from him being a caring, selfless human being outside the rink. Sean Avery is the same way. I despise him as a hockey player, but I absolutely respect his efforts to help LGBT hockey players gain the respect of their peers. Just mind-boggling that they do what they do on the ice, but I think it’s rare to find NHL players who really are low-quality human beings outside of the rink.

J.P.: You might be the king of all geeks here…

by Alz Well That Ends Well on Aug 24, 2011 12:24 PM EDT reply actions

Cooke

Matt Cooke will never change his dirty game

by capsfnva on Aug 24, 2011 12:37 PM EDT reply actions

Since there’s a few Caps fans lingering, courtesy of a link from Japers (thanks), I found this quote interesting in my research. Couldn’t work it into the article, but I present it without comment…Head coach’s comments after a controversial Cooke kneeing penalty that resulted in a major penalty, 10 minute misconduct and possible suspension..

“Look at Matt Cooke’s penalty. That guy (ed. note: that got hit) didn’t miss a shift…..He got carried off like he was going to get his knee amputated and then after the five-minute penalty, he was back on there. It’s anger right now, and you have to watch what you say. We’re angry that we lost a game we thought we should have won.

Was that Dan Bylsma talking about the post-game from when Cooke hit Ovechkin?

Nope, it was Caps coach Bruce Boudreau March 2008 when Cooke collided with Bobby Allen.

Ok, present with one comment- it’s easy for anyone to take when dirt is done for your own team, and just as easy to deride such behavior when it happens against your guy. Hopefully the challenge is a sea change amongst all NHL teams to eliminate the cheap shot artists once and for all.

Given some of the playoff incidents (Torres on Seabrook, anyone) I don’t know how much confidence there should be in the league. Might be up to the teams, but given that guys like Torres, Cooke and Gillies don’t find themselves without NHL contracts for long, it seems the teams will be just as quick to employ these guys. (And certainly the Pens aren’t without blood on their hands).

Pensburgh

"You come at the King, you best not miss."

by Hooks Orpik on Aug 24, 2011 12:56 PM EDT reply actions

Torres On Seabrook

was fine, imo. Gotta keep your head up and on a swivel, ESPECIALLY behind the net. No, he didn’t play the puck, but he damn well intended to and Torres was already on his way… so once again, you gotta KEEP YOUR HEAD UP. The #1 rule that you are taught when growing up playing this game….

I want to protect players, but we can’t coddle them to the point where they decide they don’t have to protect THEMSELVES. If Seabrook thinks its OK to swing around the back of the net while looking behind you and not paying attention to a possible (see: likely) hit, then he deserves to get rocked.

by LastSonOfKrypton on Aug 24, 2011 1:04 PM EDT up reply actions

You could be right there. I was talking more towards don’t give a guy coming off a 4 game suspension the benefit of the doubt in his first game back. That hit was a borderline “Colby Armstrong Special” which is supposed to be gone.

I’m all for keeping the physicality and not coddling players, but we still saw a goon concuss a top-pair defenseman and take him out for nearly 3 games.

Again from my point above about seeing what we want and defending/accusing based off of the jersey colors involved….If that was Micheal Haley on Kris Letang in the same exact play, I’m thinking more Pens fans would have had a problem with it.

Pensburgh

"You come at the King, you best not miss."

by Hooks Orpik on Aug 24, 2011 1:09 PM EDT up reply actions

Didn’t Torres target the head? Granted it wasn’t against the rules at the time, but that still makes it a dirty play, in my mind. At least they’ve moved to protect the players from such hits.

And for the record I agree players need to protect themselves and keep their heads up. But there’s no need to target the head, you have a huge target just below.

by Skyff on Aug 24, 2011 2:23 PM EDT up reply actions

I don’t think I was on Japer’s at the time but I do remember screaming at the TV on that one too. I think the knee on knee stuff (Ovechkin has a couple against Gonch and Tim Gleason if I recall) is less intentional than the head contact and elbows, but I don’t have a problem with 2 game suspensions for the first incident and increasing after that. It’s one of those things you have to reinforce to the guys that “when it’s close like that, don’t stick your leg out hoping to slow him down because you might end his career.”

It’s like teaching kids not to check from behind. (Most of them) are not out to kill the other guy, it’s just a reaction when he turns at the last second and they don’t pull up. Now similar to what LastSonOfKrypton says above, you have to train the “victims” not to forget to defend themselves, too,

J.P.: You might be the king of all geeks here…

by Alz Well That Ends Well on Aug 24, 2011 1:44 PM EDT up reply actions

I think the knee on knee stuff … is less intentional than the head contact and elbows

I don’t agree.

There are hits to the head that are (at least somewhat) intentional, and hits to the head that are accidental/“incidental”, and the same can be said for the knee-on-knee action.

For hits to the head the issue is often whether the head was “targeted” — which has been the problem with some of Cooke’s hits. The Steckel hit on Crosby, whether an intentional hit or not, didn’t have the same flavour.

When it comes to knee-on-knee action, sometimes it’s a bit easier to hide the intent, imo. I doubt very much that Ovi specifically intended to send Gonch flying and writhing in the air, but it’s not just about that. It’s about whether knee-to-knee connection was intended. There are most certainly times when a replay shows a player actually shifting themselves into a position that allows them to connect with the other player’s knee — in a way that is difficult to justify as completely unintentional.

Putting aside problematic issues of judging intent on a hit-by-hit basis, perhaps the difference is just that it is more difficult to get yourself into a position to deliver a knee-on-knee hit than a head shot.

Jagr? I don't even know 'er.

by PopRocks on Aug 24, 2011 2:06 PM EDT up reply actions

See I think the majority of the “highlight-reel” knee-on-knee hits are when the checker is beat/out of position and throws the leg out as a last attempt. We may disagree about the intent just from the examples we picked — for example, I firmly believe Ovechkin would prefer to get a solid body check than line up for the knee contact every time.

If we’re just talking about Cooke, I didn’t like his knee-on-knee on Ovechkin last year that went unpunished, but then his hit on Tyutin the next game and his hit on McDonagh were more blatantly attempts to injure/lack of respect for an opponent to me.

J.P.: You might be the king of all geeks here…

by Alz Well That Ends Well on Aug 24, 2011 2:21 PM EDT up reply actions

He’s going to have trouble. He’s spent years doing what coaches tell him which is to follow through on contact & finish his checks. He earned his contract extension with us & his success as an NHL player playing that same abrasive style. You don’t just switch that part of your brain off. That kinda muscle memory is going to take YEARS to deal with.