Cooke-d His Own Goose

I'm sure you've seen this on countless highlight reels by today, but Matt Cooke threw an absolutely heinous elbow on New York Rangers defenceman Ryan McDonagh ysterday afternoon. If you have seen the highlights, you know that Cooke's "what did I do" routine, pictured to the left, isn't going to fly this time, especially after the comments made by both Mario Lemieux and Ray Shero. I'm not sure what the NHL has planned for Cooke, but there needs to be a line drawn. And I'm pretty sure that Cooke will feel the heat for his latest ill-advised play on the ice.

If you haven't seen the video yet, here it is.

Vicious. Dirty. Cheap. Disgusting. Barbaric. Harsh. Atrocious. All of these words are suitable adjectives in describing Cooke's blatant elbow to Ryan McDonagh's head. Thankfully, McDonagh wasn't seriously injured on this play, but the risk of injury was certainly there and Cooke could have scrambled McDonagh's brain.

Really, there's only one thing to say about this ordeal: book him, Campbell.

If Colin Campbell doesn't give him more than the remainder of the season, he's a coward. If the Penguins don't match the NHL's level of punishment, neither Mario Lemieux nor Ray Shero should be taking a hard-line stance on head shots. If these three men don't throw the book at Cooke for this incident, then there is something seriously wrong with the NHL.

It's not about the result of the crime. It's all about the crime. Punish Matt Cooke accordingly. And show some backbone this time.

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!