The NHL Wayback Machine

The NHL Wayback Machine

It was announced yesterday that Matt Cooke will receive no league punishment for hit on Marc Savard

What an insane lapse of judgment on the NHL’s part to not suspend and punish Matt Cooke. I realize that two articles ago I mentioned that I felt that the hit was not malicious or otherwise intentional, but after reviewing it and watching analysis of it I now feel completely the opposite is the case. Matt Cooke’s arm clearly moved, it clearly was an elbow to the head, and it clearly was intentional. He is a repeat offender as most analysts are so quick to mention, he’s laid multiple hits on players such as Artem Anisimov that left everyone in the venue shaking their heads.

The NHL’s biggest fight has always been against hits to the head, why not in this case? It was a hit to the head that left Marc Savard unconscious for multiple seconds on the ice. What does a hit to the head constitute then? Does a player need to skate by, rip a players helmet off, and punch him in the back of the head? Being shoved face and body first into the somewhat forgiving boards is a game misconduct worthy penalty, but skating across the ice and elbowing a player in the head from his blindside isn’t? I remember just 3 or 4 years ago how big a joke professional hockey was to the vast majority. The NHL isn’t doing themselves a favor in gaining back the viewership that they so quickly lost by making unfair and biased judgmental decisions.

It was announced that Marc Savard will be out for an “indefinite” period of time, meaning likely the remainder of the season. So we have lost our All-Star Center basically putting an end to ANY playoff hope, and Matt Cooke is going unpunished and untainted for the hit that he laid on Savvy. Where is the justice in this? Boston just got screwed and Peter Chiarelli knows it, in a phone interview he had this to say:

“”I am both surprised and angered,” said Chiarelli on Wednesday. “The last couple of days I have been lobbying [Colin] Campbell and the hockey operations staff in respect of the [Matt] Cooke hit on Savard.”

Basically there just isn’t a rule in the book for what Matt Cooke did and thus, he walks away a free man. Because there isn’t a page in the NHL rulebook that spells out clearly what needs to happen in that occurrence, nothing happens. Hockey Operations simply is at a loss because: “”The issue here is that, right now, there is no infraction for what Cooke did.”

I’m also disappointed in the response or lack thereof that the Bruins had to the hit. Michael Ryder was standing literally right behind Marc Savard and watched it happen and simply let Matt Cooke skate away. While Marc Savard was being strapped up there were a million opportunities to open up a fight with Cooke or even to take Sidney Crosby out but alas, the Bruins turned their heads on their own teammate. I hope that on the 18th Sidney Crosby and Matt Cooke will be enjoying each others company through a dividing curtain in the hospital.

So where does this leave the Bruins? Essentially where they always have been, a lifeless team with no heart. No heart or passion for the game, and as they have displayed no heart or passion for their teammates when the time calls. The NHL has made nothing but a joke of themselves, putting themselves about seven years in the past. Fans finally begin to flock to the sport again and the NHL does all that they can to turn them away. In other news, Sidney Crosby’s Olympic stick and gloves have been found, that’s important though…right?

Weird, Cooke got a two game suspension for this….

-    Cody Smith

*Help Fight Blindness by Visiting this Website*

Tags: Matt Cooke Chara Chiarelli Ryder Michael Bruins Sidney Crosbey