Today, I bring you (again) the dirty side of the game that we all love. This afternoon during NBC's game of the week, former Cap and Penguins "tough guy" Matt Cooke charged into Rangers rookie defenseman Ryan McDonagh with his elbow up - and this happened:
Predictably, Cooke received his marching orders for that hit, earning himself a five minute major penalty for elbowing and a game misconduct. This, coming on the heels of Pittsburgh owner Mario Lemieux calling out headshots and proposing steep fines for teams who have players conduct themselves in this manner. If those rules were in place, Matt Cooke would have just cost his owner a cool two million dollars. How are those rules sounding now, Mario?
This is starting to become absurd. Cooke deserves at least an eight-game ban for his actions per Rule 48, as he is a repeat offender, not only this season but in seasons past. But, as we have learned in the past with Cooke, that clearly doesn't deter his actions. Cooke needs to be banned for the rest of the season. What does he bring? He has now all but ended one career in Marc Savard's, and if he is allowed to continue like this, who knows how many more he may diminish or end. As Montreal Gazzette writer Dave Stubbs so eloquently put it: "Cooke must have a few screws loose. You can't be that stupid naturally."
The Rangers won the game, getting two power play goals on the major penalty. Their win moved them into seventh place by themselves, and if the playoffs started today, they would play the Capitals.
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