The Confluence
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A Confluence retraction: Matt Cooke is no Jarkko Ruutu
by Tony on 11/12/08 at 11:13 AM ET
Comments (10)
A while back, I wrote an article opining that the Penguins’ signing of Matt Cooke would make Pens’ fans forget Jarkko Ruutu.
Well, I’m here to acknowledge after 15 games, that wasn’t a true statement.
The simple fact is that Matt Cooke and Jarkko Ruutu are entirely different types of players.
First of all, after watching Cooke for a while now, I don’t really classify him with the hockey definition of an “agitator”. Ruutu, Sean Avery and the like are NHL agitators, a.k.a. pains in the asses.
You know the kind I mean; The infuriating smirks, the facewashes, the coaxing of penalties, etc, etc.
So in that aspect, that’s one character from last season’s club that GM Ray Shero really hasn’t filled. I know that that’s what was said when Cooke was signed, but now, I just don’t see the role comparison. And quite honestly, the Pens could use a little more grit like that. I realize they have Paul Bissonnette who is more than willing to mix it up, but he’s not talented enough to be in the lineup on a regular basis.
However Cooke, all 5’11” and 205 lbs. of him, is tied for 10th in the NHL in hits with 44 (Brooks Orpik still leads the league with 58, by the way). Ruutu has 30 for the Senators. And the thing is, Cooke is a smarter hitter. He knows when to take a run at someone. He knows where the “line” is, and doesn’t cross it (or at least, doesn’t get caught). As opposed to Ruutu, who’s prone every now and then to the “dumb” penalty, and who went way over the line with a flying elbow to the head of Maxim Lapierre of the Canadiens in last night’s game, and will probably get suspended.
Offensively, Cooke hasn’t gotten the goose egg off of his scoresheet in terms of goals. However, he’s been a clear asset and an improvement over Ruutu in terms of his forechecking and cycling of the puck with his linemates. His centering pass to Jordan Staal allowed the Pens to cut the lead to one in the third period of last night’s game.
Thus far, I’m very content with the signing of Cooke. But in my view, we should stop saying he was brought in as the replacement for Ruutu, ‘cause it’s just not matching up.
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Tags: NHL-Hockey, Ottawa+Senators, Pittsburgh+Penguins,
Comments
Cooke doesn’t cross the line?
I don’t know about that one. As a Wild fan, I’ve seen plenty of instances of Cooke crossing the line in the past, especially with hits and plays with intent to injure. While not a fan of Cooke or Ruutu, I would take the latter over the former any day of the week.
Posted by Blake from Minnesota on 11/12/08 at 12:46 PM ET
I’ve liked the Cooke signing from day one and actually called for it as soon as Ruutu left. No, they’re not the same type of agitator, but both fill the same role on a team. The difference between the two is that Ruutu tends to have more of a never-stop attitude, which keeps him stirring things up from the bench, between whistles, and even in the hallways between locker rooms. Cooke is more of a between-the-whistles kind of a guy. He’ll agitate as much as Ruutu with trash talk and big hits, but his stops when the play stops.
Additionally, Cooke takes fewer penalties and has more offensive upside. He’s a better fit for this team, but I still miss Ruutu and hope Shero will make a move at the trade deadline to bring in a fourth line agitator to replace Godard in the playoffs.
Posted by Matt Bodenschatz on 11/12/08 at 01:22 PM ET
@Yankee - Yeah, as I said, I feel they’re two different players, the Pens need that pain in the ass-type of player….
@Blake - You may be right, maybe it’s simply that I haven’t seen Cookie in enough games. All I can say is that so far, Cooke hasn’t taken the foolish penalties, nor the foolish/dangerous hits…..
@Matt - Excellent descriptions, as always….
Posted by Tony F from Virginia Beach, VA on 11/12/08 at 01:55 PM ET
As a long time Canuck fan who watched Cooke for years I have to say I hope you are right but respectfully don’t think you are. You just haven’t watched him long enough.
I am guessing you fill find Cooke is an “agitator”, but not just to the other team. He agitates you and his teammates as well.
He takes cheapshots but is the master of the turtle. A master of the skate backwards, get the ref/linesman between you and the other team and yap. He NEVER stands up for himself . And worse, he gets his teammates into fights because he won’t.
Ruutu doesn’t let others fight his battles. Cooke doesn’t even stick around to see his battles.
Posted by Warren H from Toronto on 11/12/08 at 04:45 PM ET
As a long time Canuck fan and season ticket holder, I was sad the day we lost JR and the day Cooke left made me jump for joy. He’s horrible as you will soon find out. He doesn’t do anything well enough to carve out a niche and has no respect among his own team.
Posted by tuco on 11/12/08 at 09:19 PM ET
Sorry guys, appreciate your views, but that’s not what I’m seeing, so far anyway….
Posted by Tony F from Virginia Beach, VA on 11/12/08 at 09:35 PM ET
Regardless, I like the Cooke signing. I agree that he may not be the yap agitator that Ruutu was, but he hits everything that moves. I think this is a net gain for the Penguins vis-a-vis Ruuts.
Also, although this is a bit off-topic for this post, I also like Godard replacing Laraque. In my opinion, Godard has stepped up a lot more consistently than Laraque did. Plus, he is a beast. He has unleashed some real knee bucklers.
Keep up th egreat work Tony!
Posted by Paul from Manassas, Virginia on 11/12/08 at 10:33 PM ET
Cooke crosses the line plenty. Maybe he’s a little more sneaky than Ruutu, but he’ll cheap shot and run with the best of them. He reminds me of Maltby in that regard, although I think even Cooke would be more likely to fight than Maltby.
Posted by rwhater on 11/13/08 at 05:36 PM ET
Having seen both Cooke & Ruutu in Vancouver, Cooke is the better player and he’s got the speed to add momentum to his hits. He’s always in the top ten in hits.
He crosses the line at times but on a lot of those hits, he doesn’t get penalized for them. He’s won games for the Canucks by goading the other team into penalties. I always thought he was a heart and soul type of player, who never got a decent sustained run on an offensive line to show what he could do scoring -wise.
Posted by Weekend Warrior from Vancouver, BC on 12/28/08 at 12:04 AM ET
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As a Canuck guy who misses both these players (though not the PK trouble they can get into) you’re right. They’re both pests not guys who drop the gloves when the game needs a change of pace (Cooke fighting is a complete rarity).
The lone difference is I think Ruutu is a smarter hitter or, at least, used to be. Part of the reason Cooke lost the trust of Vigneault was because he took poor penalties at the worst times. Having watched the Pens run last year I thought Ruutu was a great pest for the Pens and was smart about it too.
Either way both are players you want on your team and not the other way around.
Posted by Yankee Canuck on 11/12/08 at 11:50 AM ET