Matt Cooke has changed, yeah....NO!

  

Cooke delivering a brutal hit from behind on Adam McQuaid during last night's game with Pittsburgh

 Going into last night's game win between the Bruins and Penguins I was fully convinced that win or loose, I would spend this Sunday morning writing a run of the mill recap of the game. Early in the 2nd period, my plans were changed.

Say what you will but, the analogy I came up with while writing this post, was a school teacher writing a letter to the parents of a kid who just punched his friend. I mean we all wish Matt Cooke had it in him to stop taking guys out of games and ending their careers yet still he goes on ripping players apart and maintaining his reputation as one of the dirtiest players in the entire NHL.

Born in September of 1978, Cooke achieved near eternal fame as he entered Boston's book of sports lore with one of the most costly hits in recent Bruins history. On March 7th while a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins Cooke came across the blue line targeting the head of Mark Savard and bringing the Bruin star too the ice in a heap of blood and unconsciousness. Yet even while escaping that incident without a suspension, Cooke's dirty style of play would earn him 4 more suspensions over the next 2 years as well as a near annihilation of any credibility he had with any fans outside of Pittsburgh. Nonetheless, after that 4th suspension, one that cost him 17 games the Penguins enforcer was given a considerable amount of time to reflect on his career and string of career changing hits.

"I realize and understand, more so now than ever, that I need to change," Cooke said in apology to Anton Anisimov the on the reviving end of the hit that warranted that 4th suspension. 

But when you look at Cooke's track record, he has not got much better. Even while making it through this season suspension free, Cooke was not far from controversy as, as early as February 13th, an errant Cooke skate blade caught reigning Norris trophy winner Eric Karalson in the calf rupturing his achilles tendon and taking the star out for the reminder of the season. Yet in the mind of Bruins fans no 2013 Cooke hit was more brutal than the one delivered to hard nosed D-man Adam McQuaid less than 24 hours ago. 

With the puck at the blue line and the pressure of the Bruins defense forcing a decision,  Cooke poked the puck back in towards Tuukka Rask's net. Seeing this, McQuaid pealed back to play the puck and had his back turned as Cooke pushed his away around Bruin Torey Krug. Now just a few feet away from the boards, Cooke continued in towards McQuaid, finishing his check and causing his target to fall limply to the ice.  

You see two things were wrong about this play, and you know both of them involved history. The dirty history of Matt Cooke vs the concussion riddled past of less than pathetic McQuaid. For Cooke its the string of reckless hits and questionable altercations yet for McQuaid it was the fact that he has definitely been on the receiving end of quite a few hits like the one last night. 

If Matt Cooke has in fact changed, his actions last night sure begged to proclaim otherwise. If Matt Cooke has changed, then many hockey fans across the globe have been proven wrong. Nonetheless, to quote a tweet made using the Matt Cooke hash-tag,  "I hope I don't run into Matt Cooke on the street..... for his sake"