Could have been a lot worse, not saying Cooke held up when he hit him but he could have ended his night with an all out hit with all his weight.

Posted by PuckHound61 from Speckville USA on 02/08/11 at 10:21 PM ET

He’s a filthy player. He repeatedly takes cheap shots like this. I’d be happy to see him gone from the game.

Posted by redxblack from Akron Ohio on 02/08/11 at 10:35 PM ET

Why isn’t he banned? Why do those tools on Versus actually like Cooke?

Posted by ChowYunCat on 02/08/11 at 10:36 PM ET

From behind?  Check.
Into the boards?  Check.
Leaves his feet?  Check.

What a hit!!!

Posted by Garth on 02/08/11 at 10:38 PM ET

In his defense, Mike Milbury probably likes this play.

Posted by Sullyosis from A hateful lair in Post Apocalyptic US (or Arizona) on 02/08/11 at 10:41 PM ET

How do you know the pens are losing?

Posted by Da lil Guy from Ottawa on 02/08/11 at 11:08 PM ET

Leaves his feet?  Check.

There is nothing worse than standing up for Cooke, but like hell he left his feet.

Posted by PuckHound61 from Speckville USA on 02/08/11 at 11:10 PM ET

How can you not think he left his feet?

He was a foot and a half off the ice!

Posted by Da lil Guy from Ottawa on 02/08/11 at 11:20 PM ET

How can you not think he left his feet?
He was a foot and a half off the ice!

LOL

Its well known the guy is one of, if not the dirtiest player in the league, but as cheap as that was he didnt leave his feet, maybe to enforce the hit a bit, but he sure as hell didnt jump into the air unlike some past incidents where it was obvious the player left his feet and was airborn while delivering the dirty hit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3Vz3PZw4DY

Now thats leaving your feet, Ladd on Kesler.

Posted by PuckHound61 from Speckville USA on 02/08/11 at 11:45 PM ET

For some damn reason every Matt Cooke penalty is being posted on KK for people to bitch about.  No one from an opposing team is going to say, “yea, Matt Cooke plays hard and is good for their team”.  But as a penguin fan, I will say that.

Tonights penalty was just that ... a penalty.  But the fact is, he went in to hit the guy and for some damn reason the guy turns into the damn boards.  He looked over his shoulder 2 seconds before the hit and saw it coming, and still turned into the boards.

For the idiots who say Matt Cooke doesn’t bring anything to the table consider this.  Matt Cooke was the season goal leader tonight for the penguins with 10.  Let me say it again, Matt Cooke was the season leading goal scorer for the pittsburgh penguins.

The OV hit this weekend was due to the fact that OV cut back at the last second.  How in the hell is Matt Cooke supposed to know he is going to do that.  The whole play took less than 1 second.  think about that.

Posted by gretzky_to_lemieux on 02/08/11 at 11:47 PM ET

gretzky_to_lemieux, believe me, I would love not to post his penalties, but lately they have been very controversial.

Posted by Paul from Motown Area on 02/08/11 at 11:49 PM ET

gretzky_to_lemieux, believe me, I would love not to post his penalties, but lately they have been very controversial.

Well then where the hell is the Frolov hit???

Posted by gretzky_to_lemieux on 02/08/11 at 11:51 PM ET

I am not aware of the Frolov hit GTL.

Posted by Paul from Motown Area on 02/08/11 at 11:55 PM ET

Paul that is because you are not aware of any other games other than the penguins games…. you watch them intently to be the first to post about anything to stir up rage.

You sit intently watching each penguin game so you can post the very latest penalty of any penguin.  The fact that you try to hide it is hilarious.  Crosby, Malkin, Cooke… it doesn’t matter.  You know more people on this board dislike the penguins than like them, and it is a cheap thrill for you to see so many posts to your threads.  It must have sucked for you to see the red wings lose game 7, but you need to get over it.

Posted by gretzky_to_lemieux on 02/08/11 at 11:57 PM ET

frolov = frolik… either way, still not video.

Posted by gretzky_to_lemieux on 02/08/11 at 11:59 PM ET

GTL, not sure how even can say what you did, but just to let you know, I saw about 30 seconds of the Pens game tonight.

Watched Sharks/Caps and Bolts/Sabres.

If you think I am targeting the Penguins, then that is your problem and I can tell you without a doubt, I would be posting these types of videos if it way any player in the NHL.

Simple as that and no way trying to get under the skin of any fan base.

Posted by Paul from Motown Area on 02/09/11 at 12:03 AM ET

Gym, Tan, Laundry. Calm down man.

Posted by pensfan29 on 02/09/11 at 12:05 AM ET

Posted by gretzky_to_lemieux on 02/08/11 at 10:47 PM ET

Wow, and we Wings fans get called homers.  Cooke is a dirty player with zero respect for any other player.  If he were a Flyer or a Cap and hit a Pen like he does everyone else you’d be calling for his head.  Get over yourself and call a spade a spade, I can’t believe there is anyone left who will defend this goon.

Posted by John W. from a bubble wrap cocoon on 02/09/11 at 12:09 AM ET

If you think I am targeting the Penguins, then that is your problem and I can tell you without a doubt, I would be posting these types of videos if it way any player in the NHL.

How about the Frolik hit tonight on Backes?  There is a hit like this in nearly every game.  That is why they are called penalties.

As for Matt Cooke, he plays hard… he gets hit as much as he dishes it out, except the refs never call penalties on the other players.  Case in point —> dirty play

Posted by gretzky_to_lemieux on 02/09/11 at 12:10 AM ET

Get over yourself and call a spade a spade, I can’t believe there is anyone left who will defend this goon.

Try leading goal scorer.

Posted by gretzky_to_lemieux on 02/09/11 at 12:11 AM ET

GTL, First I heard of the Frolk hit and no video as of this moment.

Also been searching for the elbow from Volchenkov tonight, but again, no video.

Posted by Paul from Motown Area on 02/09/11 at 12:16 AM ET

Paul that is because you are not aware of any other games other than the penguins games…. you watch them intently to be the first to post about anything to stir up rage.
-gretzky_to_lemieux

The Frolik hit wasn’t replayed on tonights nationally televised game, and if you scoll down the KK main page you’ll see video of the Mikalek slewfoot and a bit farther the Paille blindside hit.  Cooke is a well know piece of shit and when he gets a boarding major for hitting a guy directly in the numbers, he’s going to get attention.

Posted by Chris in A^2 from Nyquist Puck Control on 02/09/11 at 12:19 AM ET

via John Shannon tweet,

Cooke’s hearing will be via phone with hockey operations. Probably means 4 games or less.

Posted by Paul from Motown Area on 02/09/11 at 12:20 AM ET

The ON THE FLY crew and the Vs crew were both talking about Cooke but not Frolov or Frolik. But CLEARLY the problem is Paul.

Speaking of Paul, any update on when the ignore feature will be available?

Posted by redxblack from Akron Ohio on 02/09/11 at 12:23 AM ET

Frolik hit was just on ON the fly

Posted by PuckHound61 from Speckville USA on 02/09/11 at 12:26 AM ET

I just saw the Frolik hit on ON THE FLY and there’s no way that was the same hit at all. Frolik was a typical boarding. It was dirty, but a 2 min minor. He led with a cross check. Cooke threw his body into the numbers from several strides out. They called charging, not boarding. It was a 5 min maj, not a 2 min minor. It’s from a player who has not had two earlier high profile dirty hits THIS WEEK. Not the same thing - total false equivalency.

Posted by redxblack from Akron Ohio on 02/09/11 at 12:28 AM ET

Try leading goal scorer.

Posted by gretzky_to_lemieux on 02/08/11 at 11:11 PM ET

Oh, so then I guess because Todd Bertuzzi was a dominant offensive player at the time of the Steve Moore attack then it was ok.  Gimme a break, man.  I don’t care if Cooke scores 50 goals, he tries to injure people in almost every game he plays in, scoring 10 goals doesn’t give you the right to try to end people’s seasons on a nightly basis.

Posted by John W. from a bubble wrap cocoon on 02/09/11 at 12:32 AM ET

I have to say it is absolutely clear, without a doubt, and unquestionable that he “leapt”, “left his feet”, “jumped at” or whatever else you want to call it.  Anybody saying otherwise is letting his “fanhood” cloud his objectivity.

Boarding or charging it doesn’t matter it was both.

Tyutin should be warned that turning your numbers to an opponent is generally dangerous and foolish.  Doing so to Cooke is absolutely going to result in pain.

Jim

Posted by Vagabond Jim on 02/09/11 at 12:33 AM ET

I have to say it is absolutely clear, without a doubt, and unquestionable that he “leapt”, “left his feet”, “jumped at” or whatever else you want to call it.  Anybody saying otherwise is letting his “fanhood” cloud his objectivity.

Look at the end of the clip….. he is already hitting him THEN he leaves his feet…. He didnt LEAP in the air like a superhero.

Did he leave his feet before the hit? No he did not.
Both angles show exactly that.

Still a dirty hit, but do tell, what was Cooke supposed to do, recall Brian Burke and his bear hug theory in the past, 1 second before the hit and bear hug him?

I dont like Cooke but before you can make it out as dirty as you have, which is a crock of shit really, tell us what he should have done?  Stopped on a dime?

Posted by PuckHound61 from Speckville USA on 02/09/11 at 12:40 AM ET

Pens TV crew is kind of an embarrassment on this call as well.  “Hit him pretty much from behind” and “we’ll see what the penalty is if there is one.”  Stay classy boys.

If you’re Columbus you can’t be happy about the fact that Brassard is the only one on the ice that goes after Cooke.  Doesn’t speak real highly for the chemistry of that group.

Posted by RoneFace on 02/09/11 at 12:41 AM ET

41.1 Boarding – A boarding penalty shall be imposed on any player or goalkeeper who checks an opponent in such a manner that causes the opponent to be thrown violently in the boards. The severity of the penalty, based upon the degree of violence of the impact with the boards, shall be at the discretion of the Referee.

42.1 Charging - A minor or major penalty shall be imposed on a player who skates or jumps into, or charges an opponent in any manner. 

Charging shall mean the actions of a player who, as a result of distance traveled, shall violently check an opponent in any manner. A “charge” may be the result of a check into the boards, into the goal frame or in open ice.

Guilty of both.

And, the reply clearly shows him leaving his feet before any contact is made.  Watch the slow replay at the end of the clip above.

I didn’t say it was “dirty.”  It’s just a reflection of the way the game is played today.  Personally, I’d like to see the league have the best players available for as many games as possible.  So I’d like to see less of this; that’d mean fewer injuries and fewer suspensions.  Both are better for the game than Sid trying to get healthy in NS. 

There’s no need to turn N. American hockey into the SEL, but we can’t have KHL style antics either.  Good, clean, physical hockey played within the letter (and the spirit) of the rules is not hard to fathom.  Yet the NHL doesn’t seem to want to find the right balance.

He had ample time to stop.  He started targeting him before the hashmarks.

I don’t have a dog in this fight—I’m neither a CBJ nor Pens fan.  Just an observer on the West Coast.

BTW the 5 for fighting on Cooke was just silly.

Posted by Vagabond Jim on 02/09/11 at 12:59 AM ET

I dont like Cooke but before you can make it out as dirty as you have, which is a crock of shit really, tell us what he should have done?  Stopped on a dime?

Cooke coasts in from the blue line with Tyutin’s numbers facing him the whole time.  Maybe he, I dont know, should not have smashed the guy from behind into the boards?  Cooke didn’t leave his feet to make the hit but it still is deserving of a major penalty for boarding and whatever suspension follows.

Posted by Chris in A^2 from Nyquist Puck Control on 02/09/11 at 01:06 AM ET

http://ehfactor.blogspot.com/2011/02/i-have-confession-regarding-matt-cooke.html

s/t to wyshynski’s twitter feed.

Posted by Vagabond Jim on 02/09/11 at 01:54 AM ET

The most surprising thing about these Matt Cooke viciously dirty hits is that anyone’s even remotely surprised Matt Cooke is a viciously dirty player.

Again, players like Cooke are why there needs to be no instigator penalty.  Every time he’s on the ice the other team should beat him senseless.  Either that or the NHL is going to have to wise up and start really suspending this guy.

Granted, it’s the pre-selected face-of-the-NHL Penguins, but still.  Even playing for that team shouldn’t be a carte blanche to play like that.

Posted by HockeyinHD on 02/09/11 at 02:48 AM ET

Colin Campbell is going to have a busy day tomorrow, with 3 fresh contestants for Wheel of Justice.  I can somewhat understand defending Cooke on the knee to knee with Ovechkin Sunday, since it looked kind of marginal (at least when viewed outside the context of Cooke’s 8 or 10 other leg checks).  The worst thing about it, is that Cooke is a half decent hockey player.  He doesn’t need to play dirty to have a steady spot in the NHL.

I wouldn’t be surprised if one of the Pens sat him down and told him to knock it off before it comes back to hurt one of them.  Cooke takes run after run at guys, but won’t answer the bell when players ask him to dance.  Sooner or later, those frustrations will be taken out on someone undeserving.

Posted by iwearstripes on 02/09/11 at 03:54 AM ET

To me, Cooke had time to pull up, and deserved the call. Fair or not, he knows that the refs will never give him the benefit of the doubt, so it’s his job to be extra careful. I’m more concerned with the fact that the Pens *need* him to be on the ice because he can score goals, and is great at the forecheck and establishing the cycle down low. Last thing we need when Matt Cooke is our top scorer, is to have to kill a 5 minute major (or 3 minute major as it effectively was). Face it, without Sid/Geno/Kunitz/Letestu, the Pens need to get up early, and trap it up late. We might be really good at the penalty kill this year, but that sure doesn’t help us score. We can’t give the other team anything.

Posted by penguinsfan on 02/09/11 at 08:20 AM ET

Posted by gretzky_to_lemieux on 02/08/11 at 10:59 PM ET

What a joke.

You gripe that Paul posts only Cooke hits, but not another hit… then later admit you didn’t even have the name of the player with the other hit right.  Kinda’ hard to take anything you say seriously after that.

Stop being such a homer toolbag.  Even other Pens fans on here don’t agree with you.

It’s clearly a dirty, unnecessary hit.

Posted by Primis on 02/09/11 at 08:32 AM ET

Both skates off the ice at the point of contact.  Don’t know what that is if not “leaving his feet”.

Posted by Garth on 02/09/11 at 08:43 AM ET

It wasn’t due to impact, either. This isn’t an open ice hit of two bodies in motion. He lept - watch his legs.

Cooke is a filthy player making filthy plays night after night. He’s worse than Avery in just about every category. The league needs to fine teams for repeat offenders since these dirty players can be justified due to their offensive output. If that doesn’t fix the problem, fine the team AND make the fines count against cap space.

Posted by redxblack from Akron Ohio on 02/09/11 at 09:04 AM ET

Posted by gretzky_to_lemieux on 02/08/11 at 10:57 PM ET

Sigh.

Posted by penguinsfan on 02/09/11 at 07:20 AM ET

Nicely said. That’s a little more honest and analytical.

For some reason it did take them a while to get to the highlights of the hit on Backes on OTF, but they certainly covered it. You can say it’s unbalanced given how long they talked about Cooke, but the reason they talked about Cooke was because A) two borderline or worse hits in a week and B) he has a long history outside of these two incidents.

I’m sure Cooke has reputation calls go against him, especially of the goalie interference variety, I wouldn’t doubt it. But sometimes you “earn” a reputation. Cooke has made his bed by playing dirty, now he’s got to deal with it.

Posted by Nathan from the scoresheet! on 02/09/11 at 09:07 AM ET

Now thats leaving your feet, Ladd on Kesler.

You’re right, that is ALSO a case of a player leaving his feet to make a hit.  Has absolutely nothing to do with Cooke leaving his feet on his hit though.

He didnt LEAP in the air like a superhero.

I don’t think anybody is saying that.  Ladd didn’t LEAP into the air like a superhero either.  Does it only count of the hitter is wearing a cape and swooping in from the stands to make the hit?

Does he also have to be wearing his underwear on the outside of his clothes?

O, when saying a player left his feet to make a hit, can we only count whether or not he, you know, LEFT HIS FEET?

Which is exactly what Cooke did.

tell us what he should have done?

I’m going to say that he should have not hit him from behind, into the boards, while leaving his feet.

Simple equation here, if you see his numbers and the back of his head, don’t hit him.

How about trying to take the puck from him instead?

You know, instead of hitting him from behind, into the boards, leaving his feet.

Simple thought, I know…

Posted by Garth on 02/09/11 at 09:10 AM ET

Sooner or later, those frustrations will be taken out on someone undeserving.

Like Crosby!

Posted by gretzky_to_lemieux on 02/09/11 at 09:15 AM ET

What a nice couple of deflection attempts by g_to_l there though.

Waaaah - it’s ok for Matt Cooke to be dirty because he scores goals:

No one from an opposing team is going to say, “yea, Matt Cooke plays hard and is good for their team”.

That’s because nobody from an opposing team gives a rat’s dick about whether Cooke is good for the Penguins.  The discussion at hand is whether Matt Cooke, or similar players are bad for the league.  I don’t care how many goals he scores, he’s a dirty shitbag and he needs to be kept off the ice for a long period until he learns which side of the line he’s not supposed to cross when he’s playing hard.

Ok, no?  Fine… Waaaaaah - Matt Cooke isn’t the only player who ever hurts people and Paul never talks about them, except when he does… but I ignore those.

You don’t like the attention given to Matt Cooke any more than any of us like to pay attention to him.  We’d all be much, much happier if there were nothing about Matt Cooke’s game that made people call for suspensions twice a week because of things he does.

This play was not “just a penalty” and your attempt to lay the blame on Tyutin is sickening.  Cooke had plenty of time to think about the hit he was laying and chose to deliver it anyway.  Yes, Tyutin looked over his shoulder to see where the forechecking pressure was.  He is under no requirement to turn into a hit that’s coming, especially when he’s digging the puck out of the corner.  The entire requirement here is Cooke’s to not hit a guy in the numbers.  The fact that Cooke saw the numbers for 2 full seconds and still decided to lay the hit is exactly why he’s looking at a suspension.

Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 02/09/11 at 09:16 AM ET

You gripe that Paul posts only Cooke hits, but not another hit… then later admit you didn’t even have the name of the player with the other hit right.  Kinda’ hard to take anything you say seriously after that.

Leave it to you to point out that i mistakenly called Frolik Frolov to completely ignore the point i was trying to make.

Posted by gretzky_to_lemieux on 02/09/11 at 09:20 AM ET

This play was not “just a penalty” and your attempt to lay the blame on Tyutin is sickening.  Cooke had plenty of time to think about the hit he was laying and chose to deliver it anyway.  Yes, Tyutin looked over his shoulder to see where the forechecking pressure was.  He is under no requirement to turn into a hit that’s coming, especially when he’s digging the puck out of the corner.  The entire requirement here is Cooke’s to not hit a guy in the numbers.  The fact that Cooke saw the numbers for 2 full seconds and still decided to lay the hit is exactly why he’s looking at a suspension.

Matt Cooke like other hockey players are told to finish their check.  Tyutin had the puck and when Cooke was coming in, he was square with the guy.  At the end of the play Tyutin turned towards the boards.  Cooke may have been able to stop, but he might not have.  Without a doubt Cooke let up on the hit… it could have been a lot lot worse.

Posted by gretzky_to_lemieux on 02/09/11 at 09:23 AM ET

Is it groundhog day?
Next to Colin Campbell and his set of cotton filled testicles, Matt Cooke could be the biggest cancer in the NHL.

But why would he change anything? Look at his resume. He basically ended Savard’s career. Two nights ago he nearly destroyed Ovie’s knee and last night he made one of the most dangerous plays in sports. And how many games has he served for all 3 infractions? ZERO.

Well done NHL. In 2-3 years, when all of the top stars are on the DL with concussions, or only playing to 50% of their ability because of a head-injury, you’ll have nobody else to blame.

But hey, don’t get down about that. Afterall, when you’re trying to sell your product to ESPN you can tell them about how exciting the next Pens-Caps game will be when such superstars as Brooks Laich and Matt Cooke are playing on the top line.

Posted by Hank1974 on 02/09/11 at 09:26 AM ET

Matt Cooke like other hockey players are told to finish their check.  Tyutin had the puck and when Cooke was coming in, he was square with the guy.  At the end of the play Tyutin turned towards the boards.  Cooke may have been able to stop, but he might not have.  Without a doubt Cooke let up on the hit… it could have been a lot lot worse.

Ridiculous.  Nowhere was Cooke square with him.  Tyutin didn’t turn at the end of the play. He had his back to Cooke from the blue line.  He had his shoulders move when he turned two seconds before the hit to see the forechecking pressure, but he had his back to him the entire way.  This is not an instance of an unfortunate happenstance where a guy turns his back at the last second, this is Tyutin playing the puck, and Cooke charging the numbers.

It’s a good thing that Cooke let up on the dirty, cheap hit he laid on Tyutin that he never should have laid in the first place though.  It could have been a lot worse, so somehow we should all feel safer knowing that Matt Cooke is only going to hit you 95% dirty instead of the entire 100%.

Posted by J.J. from Kansas on 02/09/11 at 09:43 AM ET

it could have been a lot lot worse.

Posted by gretzky_to_lemieux on 02/09/11 at 08:23 AM ET

And that’s the best you can offer?  Marc Savard=a lot lot worse.

If Cooke had been dealt with properly we wouldn’t be having this discussion right now.

Lets Go Red Wings!!!!!

Posted by Kate from Pa.-made in Detroit on 02/09/11 at 10:02 AM ET

The alternative to hitting a guy in the numbers is getting to the puck first. You do not have the right to hit a guy square in the back because he has better position on you. Should defenseman now skate backwards to retrive a puck so that their back is not exposed?

Why even try to defend a play like this is beyond me.  Checking used to be about seperating the man from the puck, now it is just about smashing prone players and “follow through”.  If the league cracked down on the idea that you don’t have a good three seconds to deliver a hit after a player releases the puck, this may happen less often.

Posted by hockey1919 from mid-atlantic on 02/09/11 at 11:27 AM ET

Cooke is the very definition of a dirty player.  I think if it were tallied up, the guy has as many or more cheapshot hits like that than just about anybody in the league. The trend is evident and obvious yet all his defenders love to parse each individual hit in a lame effort to act like each one isn’t SO bad. Talk about missing the forest for the trees.

Posted by awould on 02/09/11 at 12:11 PM ET

Seems to me the better play for him was to time it so he hit the defenseman after he gets the puck and makes a turn.  He can still throw a massive check but it would be shoulder to shoulder instead of from behind.

Anyone who thinks this was the only possible result of the play is delusional.

Posted by SolidTG7 on 02/09/11 at 12:49 PM ET

http://ehfactor.blogspot.com/2011/02/i-have-confession-regarding-matt-cooke.html

s/t to wyshynski’s twitter feed.

This article’s complete Boudreau logic. Dur he was clean when he played for mai team!!!1 Please. The only thing I knew about Cooke when he was on Vancouver was that he was that guy who knees people.

On topic, while Cooke should have already been suspended for trying to take out Ovechkin’s knee the other day, discipline for this boarding play doesn’t sit nearly as well with me.

Tyutin assesses the situation and chooses to put himself in a position where his opponent’s only options are to board him or let him maintain the puck. To me that’s like putting your face in the ice in the crease and expecting the other guy not to shoot the puck.

Posted by StevieSteve on 02/09/11 at 01:16 PM ET

Why do those tools on Versus actually like Cooke?

what logo is on his jersey?

wow, this thread got long.  but there’s something I have to respond to that was in one of the first few responses.

He looked over his shoulder 2 seconds before the hit and saw it coming, and still turned into the boards.

these players cover a lot of ground in 2-3 seconds.  he looked over his shoulder while he was a few feet from the faceoff dot.  he then went and got the puck which was RIGHT AT THE BOARDS.  how can you play a puck that is at the boards, without facing the boards?

and he never TURNED.  he was skating toward the corner, stopped and played the puck.  do you see him skating in backwards toward the corner, then turning around to play the puck?  no.  that would, of course, be idiotic.

it astounds me how gigantic homers like you can defend crap like this.  if it took TWO SECONDS and DOZENS OF FEET OF SKATING for Cooke to get to him to hit him, that was plenty of time for Cooke to decide NOT to crush him into the glass from behind.

Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 02/09/11 at 01:20 PM ET

he gets hit as much as he dishes it out, except the refs never call penalties on the other players.  Case in point—> dirty play

if he gets hit as much as he dishes it out, why are there multiple examples of his (at the very least borderline) hits in the past week, but you had to go back over a year to find one of HIM getting hit?

Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 02/09/11 at 01:56 PM ET

he then went and got the puck which was RIGHT AT THE BOARDS.  how can you play a puck that is at the boards, without facing the boards?

It’s Tyutin’s fault for being a lefty and forced to backhand that puck.

Sarcasm aside,  you’re right. Tyutin had little choice but to face the boards to play that puck on the backhand. He didn’t “turn away from the hit a the last second.” A righty could have maybe kept momentum to play the puck and been in position to dodge the hit or take it with the shoulder.  Not possible for a lefty.

Vagabond Jim’s link up there has a good animated gif of the play.

Posted by Nate A from Detroit-ish on 02/09/11 at 02:00 PM ET

And, the reply clearly shows him leaving his feet before any contact is made.

it’s astounding to me how often people see something that isn’t there.

here is the moment contact is made.  where are his feet?  ON THE ICE.

Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 02/09/11 at 02:01 PM ET

att Cooke like other hockey players are told to finish their check. 

they’re also told to be responsible and not check other players in the back.

Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 02/09/11 at 02:07 PM ET

it’s astounding to me how often people see something that isn’t there.
here is the moment contact is made.  where are his feet?  ON THE ICE.

Thank you and yes it is astounding, I am baffled.

Posted by PuckHound61 from Speckville USA on 02/09/11 at 02:08 PM ET

I’m going to say that he should have not hit him from behind, into the boards, while leaving his feet.
Simple equation here, if you see his numbers and the back of his head, don’t hit him.
How about trying to take the puck from him instead?
You know, instead of hitting him from behind, into the boards, leaving his feet.
Simple thought, I know…

Just hate being wrong, eh?

Look at Pauline’s vid and tell me where his feet are….

and your answers suck, I asked what should he have done…  your answer is dont hit him or take the puck from him?  LOL

he was racing for the puck just as Tyutin was, had Tyutin turned sideways, this thread wouldnt even exist.

Posted by PuckHound61 from Speckville USA on 02/09/11 at 02:16 PM ET

Tyutin had the puck and when Cooke was coming in, he was square with the guy.  At the end of the play Tyutin turned towards the boards. 

go see a neurologist.  something is wrong with you.  seriously.

Tyutin was facing the end boards the entire time he skated through the zone to get to the corner where the puck was going to be.  at NO TIME was he ever FACING Cooke.  at NO TIME did he ever TURN MORE toward the boards.  he was facing the corner THE ENTIRE TIME, and Cooke was chasing him FROM BEHIND the ENTIRE TIME.

look at this.  it’s plain as day.  Cooke ISN’T EVEN IN THE ZONE YET, and he’s ALREADY STARING AT TYUTIN’S NUMBERS:

a little farther into the zone.  Cooke is still CHASING HIM, and still LOOKING AT HIS NUMBERS:

Cooke even has to AVOID ANOTHER PLAYER in order to crush Tyutin from behind:

look at Tyutin’s body position in the above image, and in the next one.  at what point did he TURN TOWARD THE BOARDS?  in fact, as these pics clearly show, his orientation on the ice NEVER CHANGED.

these images clearly prove that Cooke chased Tyutin FROM BEHIND for nearly ONE HUNDRED FEET before crushing him into the boards FROM BEHIND.  if you see something else here, then you need your eyes and/or brain checked.

Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 02/09/11 at 02:16 PM ET

I think the fact that Cooke had to pull up a bit to avoid the other CBJ player might have saved Tyutin.  if he didn’t have to pull up, Tyutin is probably in the hospital this morning and/or eating his meals through a straw.

Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 02/09/11 at 02:21 PM ET

Tyutin assesses the situation and chooses to put himself in a position where his opponent’s only options are to board him or let him maintain the puck.

yeah, silly him for thinking another player would NOT attempt to injure him intentionally after skating 100 feet to do so.

To me that’s like putting your face in the ice in the crease and expecting the other guy not to shoot the puck.

this is an absurd example.  players are SUPPOSED TO shoot the puck at the crease.  players are NOT SUPPOSED TO check each other from behind.

Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 02/09/11 at 02:26 PM ET

Tyutin assesses the situation and chooses to put himself in a position where his opponent’s only options are to board him or let him maintain the puck.

by this justification, a player could get away with ANYTHING.  and, um, those were NOT his only two options.  why couldn’t he pin Tyutin to the boards and battle for the puck?  why couldn’t he poke the puck out as he skated by, thereby stealing the puck from Tyutin?  why couldn’t he anticipate where Tyutin was going to be with the puck, and be there first…then lay on a legal check?

there were many options.  it is clear from the replay (and the pics I posted) that Cooke had chosen his option before he even crossed the blue line.

Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 02/09/11 at 02:29 PM ET

I think the fact that Cooke had to pull up a bit to avoid the other CBJ player might have saved Tyutin.  if he didn’t have to pull up, Tyutin is probably in the hospital this morning and/or eating his meals through a straw.

True that.

Only problem is with your videos, this scenario happens on a daily basis in the NHL and for the most part the hitter holds up, slows down and digs for the puck, or comes crashing in like Cooke did.
The hittee will sometimes stay the course or turn sideways KNOWING a hit is coming.
You play in the NHL, if your going to dig a puck up in the corner, EXPECT a hit coming, others want the puck too.
Oh well, its all over, 4 games..  he deserved 4 the other day for knee on Ovechkin.

Posted by PuckHound61 from Speckville USA on 02/09/11 at 02:36 PM ET

by this justification, a player could get away with ANYTHING.

I didn’t offer a justification, I said why the play happened.

and, um, those were NOT his only two options.  why couldn’t he pin Tyutin to the boards and battle for the puck?

Because that’s a 100% call on any player not named Hal Gill. Boarding, like it or not, isn’t.

why couldn’t he poke the puck out as he skated by, thereby stealing the puck from Tyutin?

Because Tyutin didn’t skate by. He stopped, facing the boards.

why couldn’t he anticipate where Tyutin was going to be with the puck, and be there first…then lay on a legal check?

He did. What most defensemen do on this play is turn one way or the other, move the puck and try to slip the check. Tyutin stopped with the puck facing the boards.

yeah, silly him for thinking another player would NOT attempt to injure him intentionally after skating 100 feet to do so.

If Tyutin thinks Matt Cooke, of all people, is going to have mercy on him because he decided to put himself in a position to get his neck broken hoping Cooke doesn’t decide to take the hit anyway, he isn’t silly, he’s a fool. Even mostly-clean players like Randy Jones have taken this hit when it’s been there.

this is an absurd example.  players are SUPPOSED TO shoot the puck at the crease.  players are NOT SUPPOSED TO check each other from behind.

Players are supposed to make body contact with defensemen on dump-ins. Tyutin decided to position himself such that this body contact could get him killed. The example is appropriate.

Did Cooke pull the trigger and is he ultimately responsible? Yeah, but Tyuitin put live ammo in a gun that should have been loaded with rubber bullets.

Posted by StevieSteve on 02/09/11 at 03:39 PM ET

had Tyutin turned sideways, this thread wouldnt even exist.

Posted by PuckHound61 from Speckville USA on 02/09/11 at 01:16 PM ET

zomg IT’S tYUTIN’S FAULT FOR NOT TURNING HIS BODY TO ALLOW cOOKE TO HIT HIM LEGALLY.

Tyutin decided to position himself such that this body contact could get him killed

Yes, it is completely Tyutin’s fault for not assuming that a dirty sh*thead was going to hit him in a completely illegal manner.  In fact, the NHL should require that all players face all other payers at all times just so we can keep the aforementioned dirty sh*theads in the league.

Posted by WingsFaninCO on 02/09/11 at 03:57 PM ET

why couldn’t he pin Tyutin to the boards and battle for the puck?

Because that’s a 100% call on any player not named Hal Gill.

what?!  you’ve never seen players battling for the puck along the boards?  it happens 100 times a game!  I’m not talking about HOLDING.  I’m talking about BOARDPLAY.

y couldn’t he poke the puck out as he skated by, thereby stealing the puck from Tyutin?

Because Tyutin didn’t skate by. He stopped, facing the boards.

as COOKE skated by.  Tyutin is stopped with the puck, you skate by behind him, poke the puck out in the direction you’re going, and take it with you.

players do it all the time.

of course, Tyutin didn’t still have the puck when Cooke hit him.  Tyutin made the right play…skate to the puck and pass it to a teammate.

Cooke made the wrong play - skate 100 feet staring at the opponent’s back and then smash him into the boards face first when he stops.

Tyutin stopped with the puck facing the boards.

no, he moved the puck to a nearby teammate.

If Tyutin thinks Matt Cooke, of all people, is going to have mercy on him because he decided to put himself in a position to get his neck broken hoping Cooke doesn’t decide to take the hit anyway, he isn’t silly, he’s a fool. Even mostly-clean players like Randy Jones have taken this hit when it’s been there.

you are out of your mind, and 99.9% of people disagree with this kind of dangerous attitude.  Tyutin has every reasonable expectation that he will NOT get checked violently into the boards from behind - considering it’s a PENALTY to do so.

Players are supposed to make body contact with defensemen on dump-ins. Tyutin decided to position himself such that this body contact could get him killed. The example is appropriate.

so, basically, you blame Tyutin for the entire incident.  this is absolutely batshit insane.

Tyuitin put live ammo in a gun that should have been loaded with rubber bullets.

what a load of crap.  Tyutin skated into the zone and played the puck, moving it immediately to a teammate.

Cooke followed him for a LONG TIME, staring at his numbers the WHOLE TIME, avoided ANOTHER PLAYER, and blasted him IN THE BACK.  there is not a single ounce of responsibility for this on Tyutin.

are you seriously saying he should NOT play the puck, and just let Cooke have it, because Cooke is likely to commit a dangerous (and illegal) hit from behind?  that’s absurd.  if that’s the standard then players will never be able to play the puck along the boards because someone might check them in the back.  bass ackwards logic.

Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 02/09/11 at 04:02 PM ET

what?!  you’ve never seen players battling for the puck along the boards?  it happens 100 times a game!  I’m not talking about HOLDING.  I’m talking about BOARDPLAY.

Didn’t have to look hard for this.

as COOKE skated by.  Tyutin is stopped with the puck, you skate by behind him, poke the puck out in the direction you’re going, and take it with you.

players do it all the time.

The players who stop facing the boards when an opponent has him lined up get boarded a lot because there’s no good play by the opposing player. I’ll refer you that article again.

of course, Tyutin didn’t still have the puck when Cooke hit him.  Tyutin made the right play…skate to the puck and pass it to a teammate.

I’ll refer you to your own most-recent picture. Cooke is less than a foot away from contact and the puck is sitting on Tyutin’s backhand. Coming to a dead stop, facing the boards when a checker has you lined up is asinine.

you are out of your mind, and 99.9% of people disagree with this kind of dangerous attitude.  Tyutin has every reasonable expectation that he will NOT get checked violently into the boards from behind - considering it’s a PENALTY to do so.

99.9% of people can agree that someone who decides to count their money in a back alley in Brazil doesn’t deserve to be robbed, too, but that doesn’t mean they have a “reasonable expectation” not to be. Tyutin saw a guy bearing down and him and put himself in a position to get killed, hoping the other guy would give up on the play.

so, basically, you blame Tyutin for the entire incident.  this is absolutely batshit insane.

Nope, I blame Tyuitin for putting himself in a position where the other guy’s only option, as stated in the article I linked, is to run him over. I blame Cooke for actually running him over.

what a load of crap.  Tyutin skated into the zone and played the puck, moving it immediately to a teammate.

No, Tyutin skated into the zone, saw a pursuer, grabbed the puck and stopped, hoping his pursuer would give up on the play. This is a suicidal play.

Cooke followed him for a LONG TIME, staring at his numbers the WHOLE TIME, avoided ANOTHER PLAYER, and blasted him IN THE BACK.  there is not a single ounce of responsibility for this on Tyutin.

The sane play by Tyutin, the play that every defenseman in the league makes 10 times per night is to take the puck, spin one way or the other, move the puck and try to slip the check. Had he done what every other defenseman does, Cooke would either have missed or hit him cleanly.

are you seriously saying he should NOT play the puck, and just let Cooke have it, because Cooke is likely to commit a dangerous (and illegal) hit from behind?

I’ve already explained what he’s supposed to do in this situation on multiple occasions. What every defenseman does on this play every single night. Tyutin put himself in harm’s way hoping Cooke would give up on the play. That Cooke took the hit is on him. But it shouldn’t have been there for the taking and Tyutin has to know what would happen if he decided to put himself in a position to get killed instead of risking taking a clean hit to make the play.

Posted by StevieSteve on 02/09/11 at 04:56 PM ET

Watching a dirty player like Cooke makes me wish guys like Domi, Kocur, Probert , and Grimson were around.  Guys who played hard and stood up for there teammates and still had respect for the game.
I would love to watch one of them make a coward like Cooke “turtle shell”, cause you know he would.

Posted by wingycup on 02/09/11 at 05:16 PM ET

Watching a dirty player like Cooke makes me wish guys like Domi, Kocur, Probert , and Grimson were around.  Guys who played hard and stood up for there teammates and still had respect for the game.

Probert would rape Cooke.  Literally.

Posted by RoneFace on 02/09/11 at 05:18 PM ET

Watching a dirty player like Cooke makes me wish guys like Domi, Kocur, Probert , and Grimson were around.  Guys who played hard and stood up for there teammates and still had respect for the game.
I would love to watch one of them make a coward like Cooke “turtle shell”, cause you know he would.

That’s what I don’t get.
Puck Daddy has a link to an article where Jody Shelly talks about ‘the code’.
In it, he talks about not going after smaller players or lesser fighters.
In my mind, that’s bunk!
If punks like Cooke and Avery knew they’d have to dance with Shelly or Boogard if they acted up, I guarantee they wouldn’t be playing so recklessly.
Cooke ruined Savard’s career and his punishment was fighting light-heavyweight Shawn Thornton. And he didn’t even do that badly in it.
Now if Chara had gotten ahold of Cooke (or a prime Probie), he wouldn’t even look at players of Savard’s ilk ever again. In fact, he’d be a model citizen out there.

Every day goons/enforcers get closer and closer to extinction. Maybe if they actually made losers like Cooke pay for being douchebags they’d be able to keep jobs.

In my age, I’ve gotten over the need to see heavyweights patrolling the ice. But I’d much, MUCH rather see every team carry a heavyweight than a league full of pests. I loathe pests! I don’t think they add anything to the game but endanger truly talented players out there.

Posted by Hank1974 on 02/09/11 at 05:23 PM ET

I agree Hank….if guys were around to hold him accountable maybe he would think twice. NO QUESTION that he goes out of his way to make dirty plays.
Hopefully we won’t have any more star players having potentially career ending injuries because of this PEST.

Posted by wingycup on 02/09/11 at 05:31 PM ET

BTW
“60% of the time it works everytime.”

“I’m going to be honest with you Brian, that smells like pure gasoline.”

Posted by wingycup on 02/09/11 at 05:33 PM ET

“In it, he talks about not going after smaller players or lesser fighters. “
Posted by Hank1974 on 02/09/11 at 04:23 PM ET

I haven’t seen that article, but I would think that he’s talking about during the regular course of a game, not after a dirty hit. I’m sure Shelley would love to have an uncontested punch to the face of a bunch of the gnats in the NHL, but he won’t pick a fight just to do it.

Posted by NathanBC on 02/09/11 at 05:41 PM ET

what?!  you’ve never seen players battling for the puck along the boards?  it happens 100 times a game!  I’m not talking about HOLDING.  I’m talking about BOARDPLAY.

Didn’t have to look hard for this.

what is your point? boardplay is not illegal.  it’s a fundamental part of hockey.  do you seriously not understand what I’m talking about?

The players who stop facing the boards when an opponent has him lined up get boarded a lot because there’s no good play by the opposing player.

how about DON’T CHECK HIM?  it’s simple.  when you follow someone for 100 feet, staring at their numbers the whole way, you have PLENTY OF TIME to think “hmmm I shouldn’t smash him into the glass face first” and pull up.

in fact, Cooke had the control over his skating to slow up and avoid another CBJ player.  he could have NOT HIT Tyutin.

Coming to a dead stop, facing the boards when a checker has you lined up is asinine.

how would Tyutin know Cooke has him lined up?  the last time he saw Cooke, Cooke wasn’t even at the faceoff circle yet.  this is the POINT to rule 48 - blindside hits.

I blame Tyuitin for putting himself in a position where the other guy’s only option, as stated in the article I linked, is to run him over. I blame Cooke for actually running him over.

if Cooke had NO OTHER OPTION, then how is he to blame for anything?  because he DID have OTHER OPTIONS.  stopping and initiating boardplay would have been one of them.  there are many others, some of which I already listed.

I’m done with this.  you just don’t get it.  Cooke followed him FROM BEHIND while staring DIRECTLY AT HIS NUMBERS, for ONE HUNDRED FEET, then SMASHED HIM FACE FIRST INTO THE GLASS.

what Cooke did was dangerous, against the rules, a penalty, and worthy of suspension.  he had other options.  that is a simple fact.  he also had PLENTY OF TIME (100 feet) to consider his options.  this is a professional athlete.  if he can’t make proper decisions with that kind of time, he has no business on the ice.

Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 02/09/11 at 05:46 PM ET

BTW
“60% of the time it works everytime.”

“I’m going to be honest with you Brian, that smells like pure gasoline.”

LOL!

“Smells like bigfoots d**k!” Hahaha!

Posted by Hank1974 on 02/09/11 at 05:53 PM ET

if Cooke had NO OTHER OPTION, then how is he to blame for anything?  because he DID have OTHER OPTIONS.  stopping and initiating boardplay would have been one of them.  there are many others, some of which I already listed.

I’ll refer you, again, to the article you couldn’t understand. Once Tyutin stops, Cooke’s options are a) hit him b) give up on the play. Your first suggestion is illegal, the other impossible. I also see that I’m not the only person to explain exactly what Tyutin’s supposed to do in this situation and why.

I’m done with this.  you just don’t get it.  Cooke followed him FROM BEHIND while staring DIRECTLY AT HIS NUMBERS, for ONE HUNDRED FEET, then SMASHED HIM FACE FIRST INTO THE GLASS.

You’re right, you don’t get it. You don’t seem to be aware that “bear-hugs” are illegal, think stopping facing the boards with the puck while a guy has you lined up is a proper play (I was taught never to do that when I was 8, by the way and spinning out of checks by forecheckers is still practiced at the NHL level, by every team, every week) and keep referring to this lining him up from “ONE HUNDRED FEET” thing. That’s something called “skating” something called a “route” on something called a “forecheck.”

I honestly don’t care that Cooke’s suspended. He abused an official the other day and nobody noticed. He also tried to take out Ovechkin’s knees which should be another five. If you want to find incidents involving Cooke where the victim is blameless, there were two this week.

But neither of those offenses changes the fact that Tyutin stupidly put himself in position to get killed yesterday or that you don’t have the first clue as to what you’re talking about.

Posted by StevieSteve on 02/09/11 at 06:08 PM ET

Your first suggestion is illegal, the other impossible

boardplay is not illegal.  do you even watch hockey?

poking the puck away and taking it with you is not impossible.  players do it all the time.

You don’t seem to be aware that “bear-hugs” are illegal

I never said to bear hug him.  I said he could have pinned him to the boards.  as long as he keeps his hands on his stick, it’s perfectly legal and happens 100 times a game.

you don’t know wtf you’re talking about.

Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 02/09/11 at 07:03 PM ET

But neither of those offenses changes the fact that Tyutin stupidly put himself in position to get killed yesterday or that you don’t have the first clue as to what you’re talking about.

Your full of shit, Paulin makes an excellent argument, you just choose to ignore being the loser in it.
No surprise here, see it all the time.

Posted by PuckHound61 from Speckville USA on 02/09/11 at 07:11 PM ET

Oh please. PaulinMiamiBeach doesn’t know what a route is, thinks you can steal a puck through a guys back while he’s stopped and you’re moving, doesn’t know that “boardplay” requires initial body contact (ie boarding, if the guy shows you nothing but his back) and that facing the boards stopped when lined up for a hit is the right play on a dump-in. It’s complete ass-talkery.

Posted by StevieSteve on 02/09/11 at 07:29 PM ET

Oh please. PaulinMiamiBeach doesn’t know what a route is, thinks you can steal a puck through a guys back while he’s stopped and you’re moving, doesn’t know that “boardplay” requires initial body contact (ie boarding, if the guy shows you nothing but his back) and that facing the boards stopped when lined up for a hit is the right play on a dump-in. It’s complete ass-talkery.

The funny thing is, no one has came out and explained what would have been the right course of action that Cooke should have taken, that WOULD have enabled him to come out of the corner with the puck and without having to hit Tyutin as he did.

I dont think there was any personally, thus, these incidents happen.

Posted by PuckHound61 from Speckville USA on 02/09/11 at 07:46 PM ET

thinks you can steal a puck through a guys back

through his back, no.  poke it through his legs or from the side, yes.  players do it all the time.

doesn’t know that “boardplay” requires initial body contact (ie boarding

wow.  you really think that?  why couldn’t Cooke pull up and initiate contact?  you know that boarding is NOT checking from behind, right?  boarding is FORCEFUL VIOLENT contact.  players skate to the boards and initiate board play without “boarding” all the time. 

you obviously don’t watch much hockey.  or you’re so invested in defending Cooke that you can’t bring yourself to admit that you’re wrong.

facing the boards stopped when lined up for a hit is the right play on a dump-in

then why do players do it ALL THE TIME?  because they’re expecting BOARDPLAY, not to get smashed face first into the boards.

Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 02/09/11 at 07:49 PM ET

so Tyutin had all these other options, other things he should have done…but Cooke didn’t.  his only option was to smash Tyutin into the glass face first violently.  um ok…that makes sense.

Posted by PaulinMiamiBeach on 02/09/11 at 07:56 PM ET

Tell me where in the rulebook does it say that a player can leap after making contact and that obviates the charging call.

Here’s the relevant text:

42.1 Charging - A minor or major penalty shall be imposed on a player who skates or jumps into, or charges an opponent in any manner.

“Jumps into, ...in manner” eliminates the need for this red herring of “he hadn’t left his feet at the time of contact.”

Notice that the timestamp indicates this is no more than a fraction of a second after the screenshot taken above claiming he hadn’t left his feet.  He was leaping.  Period.

He got a reasonable punishment.

Posted by Vagabond Jim on 02/10/11 at 02:18 AM ET