Cookin' Up A Storm

"A lateral or blind side hit to an opponent where the head is targeted and/or the principal point of contact is not permitted." 


This is the definition of an illegal check to the head under the category of physical fouls in the National Hockey League rule book. Clearly no one forwarded the message to Pittsburgh Penguins forward Matt Cooke, who is constantly delivering dangerous checks to unsuspecting players.

Marc Savard, after the hit delivered by Matt Cooke

Cooke, who was given a four game suspension for his hit to the head of Blue Jackets defenseman Fedor Tyutin, is a repeat offender. Although Tyutin was not injured on the play, it does not change the fact that it was another dangerous hit. This marks the second suspension for Cooke this season, the first being the blind sided hit to the head of Rangers forward Artem Anisimov.


Cooke is known for laying dirty hits whether it be to the head or knee on knee collisions. Regardless of the hit, there is still the intent to injure which the NHL simply cannot justify. How he has not received discipline for these hits in the past is beyond explanation. He is single handedly responsible for the destruction of Bruins forward Marc Savard who has never fully recovered from the devastating blow that Cooke laid on him last season. Somehow the NHL's Disciplinary system failed to notice the fact that Savard missed 41 games due to the concussion he suffered on the hit. Why the NHL has suddenly decided that Cooke's actions are dangerous acts of violence and require discipline, is beyond understanding.


The NHL needs to clamp down on checks to the head, rather than just discussing how bad and life threatening they are. A greater suspension would make a player think twice before repeating a dangerous hit again.