Matt Cooke Hit; NHL shrugs shoulders
Positively one of the most uncalled for hits I've witnessed.
YouTube - Matt Cooke DESTROYS Marc Savard (HD - Full Incident)
And today, the NHL shrugs its shoulders saying nothing they can do...even as they motion a new rule for next season on the EXACT same thing. Blind side head shots are to be an offense next season, yet Matt Cooke is going to continue playing with NO reprecussions this season.
An absolute head-shaker | Steve Simmons | Columnists | Sports | Toronto Sun
Its not like Cooke is little Ms. Innocent and this was a first time event. This guy makes his career out of intentionally hurting players.
YouTube - Matt Cooke DESTROYS Marc Savard (HD - Full Incident)
And today, the NHL shrugs its shoulders saying nothing they can do...even as they motion a new rule for next season on the EXACT same thing. Blind side head shots are to be an offense next season, yet Matt Cooke is going to continue playing with NO reprecussions this season.
An absolute head-shaker | Steve Simmons | Columnists | Sports | Toronto Sun
Its not like Cooke is little Ms. Innocent and this was a first time event. This guy makes his career out of intentionally hurting players.
Comments
Jesus, grow a pair of balls NHL and practise what you preach! This guy shouldn't be allowed to put on another pair of skates again!
Just as gutless as the NHL, imo. Just another reason why I don't watch until the playoffs start. Far less nonsense during those games.
If something's not illegal or suspension worthy when it happens, you can't do that.
But yea, he's a goon.
Mark
Definitely be tuned into the game on the 18th. Cooke is going to find out just how solid Chara can hit back.
A friend of mine played for the Windsor Spits when he was in Junior and he used to come to alot of gatherings.
I have one word: doooooooshbag.
Kind of off topic, but whatever.
Actually, I think that just sums it all up nicely!
No need to . . . not sure how it's worded in the NHL rulebook, but anything that, in the ref's opinion, is a deliberate attempt to injure, is punishable by a minor, major, or Match Penalty. I do know that Match Penalty is something that is almost NEVER called because it carries an autmatic 3 game suspension, as well as supplementary discipline. All the NHL would have to do is direct the on ice officials to call ANY hit to the head a Match Penalty, and watch this crap disappear.
Doubt it.
My knee-jerk reaction of punitive measures are ineffective of course, and the fact that guys are STILL getting suspensions and what not even for things they KNOW is not allowed.
Mark
Matt Cooke does not make Ovechkin $$$. Neither do most of the morons that play in this fashion. This is Cooke's 3rd offense. Based on my previous post, this would have cost him more than 10% of his salary. Can you take that kind of hit (sorry)? Combine that with the team losing a roster spot for 10% of their games, and this crap will stop within 1 season as teams unload "dangerous" hitters in favour of similarly skilled players who know how to body check properly.
No fighting in the Olympics. Anybody notice or miss it?
One guy throws a check, no elbows, no stick, no hands, all shoulder the other guy with his head down not paying attention gets his bell rung.
Sad to see it happen but it's hockey. Get over it. If anyone here thinks that Matt Cooke thought for one second about attempting to injure here I've got news for you. He didn't have time to think about that. The pace of that play is a little bit faster than your Sunday beer league.
Marc Savard makes over four fucking million dollars a year to play a sport with physical risks. He knows that. A cross check to the face or a hit from behind should draw a major suspension. This is not even worthy of a penalty.
BullSHIT!! Its not like its his first time either. He's a fucking punk, and shouldn't be in the game!
Yup, there ARE risks . . . but THAT hit is OUTSIDE the normal risks associated with the game of hockey. If you actually watch the play, you can see that he deliberately leans the shoulder in to ensure contact with Savard's helmet/head. That is an indicator of intent, as is the fact that he went for the head-shot rather than the full body-check.
I have no idea what Savard's income level has to do with anything, so I'll leave that aside.
We are starting to discover the serious long-term effects of head impacts/trauma to the health of professional athletes after they leave the playing field. Again: Marc Savard knows the risks of playing in the NHL. He should also be afforded the protection due to players for incidents that are beyond the rules of the game.
Really, Caddie, if you returned just to post nonsense like this, you should have stayed away . . .
2 NHL players moving at even 3/4 speed pegs them at about 35 MPH X 2. If a hit aimed at his shoulder misses by 6 inches it hits him the head. Lets be realistic about the margin for error. Cooke picked his line from about 15 feet away and never moved off of it. His intent was to throw a hit the entire time I don't disagree with that.
If you are going to demand that his plan the whole time was to deliver a head shot with an intent to injure I won't debate it with you. You keep your uninformed opinion that has been spoon fed to you by the media and I'll keep mine. =D
I bring up the huge money these guys make because it is relevant to the discussion. These guys make 100 times more $$$ a year than the average person. The aggression is what makes hockey so fun to watch and it is also what makes for the big swings in momentum. As a fan who contributes to their salary I don't want to be watching some watered down product where the guys are afraid to lay out a body check.
For you to call my point of view "nonsense" just because it is different from yours is ridiculous. The NHL stance shares part of my point that the hit was clean by the current rules and that their was nothing illegal about it.
No, the NHL said they could not punish Cooke because they failed to do so against another player earlier in the season for a similar incident. That is quite different than your point of view. Your point is ridiculous on it's merit (or rather the lack of it). That you disagree with me is just a bonus. Keep trying, Caddie . . .
I simply don't have much passion for an NHL where players are flinging themselves out of control every time they might contact someones head.
If Cooke gets his hands up or bounces an elbow off the side of Savards head I think you should throw the book at the guy. Same thing with hits from behind, suspend them and fine the hell out of them. It is just that this particular hit is not the one to get your panties in a knot over. Not illegal, no penalty even called, hell, on the ice at the time none of the Bruins even went after the guy for it. That should tell you the story right there.
As far as my premise that is exactly it. On TV we watch guys go to work catching king crab with a 10% chance of being drown or maimed within 5 years in the business, all to make $100 Grand a year. NHL players make millions, I repeat MILLIONS of dollars. Tickets have gotten to the price that my family with the income of 2 professionals can really only afford to go to a game a couple of times a year. So I have no problem voicing the opinion that I do not want the product watered down because there is a <1% chance that someone might get knocked the fuck out and have a few lingering side effects. Especially when it has already been proven that most players in the league will choose vanity over safety when picking which helmet to wear.
Here is what I said...
Your nonsense retort...
The Facts...
I am not going to banter back and forth with you on this topic because you just don't get it. Besides I know what really matters to you anyway:
If you knew me, you would realize how hilarious this really is . . . too bad you missed my question week.
Game misconduct and a 2 game suspension to the NHL points leader.
Too much? Not enough?
YouTube - Alexander Ovechkin injures Brian Campbell
Second offense? 10 games . . .
Third? 20 games
Fourth? 40 games
Fifth? Find another career, you're too stupid for the NHL.
Ovechkin can be just as dirty as Cooke. I would treat him the same way. The thing that really gets me steamed is the inconsistency the NHL displays re: discipline. They should just publish the format as follows:
If a player commits foul "X", the suspension is "Y".
If a player commits foul "A", the suspnesion is "B".
The escalating scales is as follows "X" for a first offense, "X" x2 for a second offense, etc.
The problem is the instigator rule and the fact that the players are no longer able to police themselves on the ice for fear of penalizing their team. Add to this the hard plastic elbow and shoulder pads that quite frankly are too protective of the players delivering the hits.
Everyone likes to cite the Olympics as an example where hits like this don't occur. But, there was a headshot and concussion exactly like this on a Slovakian player. So, it happens in Olympics too.