Kris Letang suspended for two games for hit on Alex Burmistrov

I think that some of the ruling to come out of the Department of Player Safety have been puzzling and I just don't think that this hit warranted a two game suspension. It's not like Kris Letang is a dirty hockey players, and this isn't a Matt Cooke we are talking about.

Don't get me wrong I am glad that Colin Campbell is not spinning the Wheel of Justice anymore but do we really need to suspend every single players that commits a checking from behind penalty? I think it's a legitimate question. The NHL is throwing the book at players that don't have history of being dirty players.

NEW YORK – Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Kris Letang has been suspended, without pay, for two games for boarding Wiinnipeg forward Alex Burmistrov during NHL Game No. 66 Monday night in Winnipeg, the National Hockey League's Department of Player Safety announced today.

Under the terms of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and based on his average annual salary, Letang will forfeit $37,837.84. The money goes to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund.

At 13:08 of the third period, Letang hit Burmistrov from behind, driving him into the boards. Letang was assessed a minor penalty for boarding.

Letang will miss games tonight at Minnesota and Thursday, Oct. 20, vs. Montreal. He will be eligible to return Saturday, Oct. 22, vs. New Jersey.

Brett Hextall is no Matt Cooke...

I want to preface this blog post by saying that, I liked what Brett Hextall brought to the table during his three seasons at the University of North Dakota, however I am disappointed that Brett would compare himself to a gutless puke like Matt Cooke. I don't think we will every see Hextall suspended for the playoffs because he hit someone with a dirty elbow or an illegal hit... While Hextall plays the game with an edge I wouldn't say that he is a goon or a dirty player.

Pro Hockey Talk --- Phoenix Coyotes prospect Brett Hextall signed a pro contract this April and will be wreaking havoc all over the Coyotes training camp this week. He spent two seasons with Junior A Penticton before moving on to the University of North Dakota.

“Yeah, [the chippiness] probably my strongest point—at least when I’m playing my most effective,” Hextall explained. “I’m really getting under people’s skin just because I’m a pest. Like a Max Talbot, Matt Cooke, or someone like that. If I can be a relentless guy, [play] in-your-face, winning pucks, and just getting under people’s skin because I’m always around, always there, and always getting a piece of them. That’s definitely when I’m at my best.”

That’s right. A Hextall just said that he’s at his best when he’s playing like Matt Cooke. Not surprisingly, it’s something he’s learned from his family. He’s known from the start what it would take to be a good hockey player.

One player that I would probably compare Brett Hextall to is Boston Bruins forward and pest extraordinaire Brad Marchand. In case you have already forgotten, Marchand, was the player that the Montreal Canadians and the Vancouver Canucks came to hate during the Stanley Cup playoffs, by the end of both series Marchand was in Canadians and Canucks heads. Brett Hextall like Brad Marchand has been known to throw players but also whole teams off their games being a super pest, if you don't believe me just ask the Denver Pioneers.

Related articles

• Brett Hextall: Like father, like son (prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com)
• Matt Cooke Is Gonna Try Really, Really Hard Not To Be A Cheap-Shot Artist Anymore [Video] (deadspin.com)
• Will Matt Cooke be a changed man next season? (prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com)
• Marc Savard's Career May Be Over: Will This Change Matt Cooke? (bleacherreport.com)

Montreal police complete their investigation on Chara...

This just in from James Murphy of ESPN Boston. My first question is; what the heck are they going investigate? Along those same lines, how many police detectives did the Montreal Police department use to investigate this hockey play/hit? The play in question was about 3-4 strides and about 3.5 seconds ending with Pacioretty getting hurt.

Let's not kid ourselves Max Pacioretty got hurt and that was unfortunate, no one wants to see anyone get hurt on the ice, On the flip side of that discussion, do we want metro police departments and law enforcement agencies investigating questionable hits or actions that take place on the ice or playing fields I am being serious; you don't see the Boston or Pittsburgh Police departments charging Penguins' hack Matt Cooke with a crime for attempting to take Marc Savard head off, which was a more egregious hit than the Chara hit on Pacioretty. There was no crime committed by Zdeno Chara. What nexts, is the Montreal Police Department going to send officers to the Boston Bruins locker room and take Chara away in hand cuffs, just like they did the Hanson Brothers in the movie Slap Shot... Let's wrap this up, and move on.

James Murphy, ESPN --- Montreal police have concluded their investigation into Bruins captain Zdeno Chara’s controversial hit on Canadiens forward Max Pacioretty on March 8 and forwarded their report to Crown prosecutors. It is now their decision whether to prosecute Chara.

Amid public outcry from Canadiens and NHL fans in Montreal after Chara was not suspended by the NHL for the hit that left Pacioretty with a cracked vertebrae and concussion, the police launched an investigation in March and just recently questioned Chara.

Related articles

• Police investigation into Chara's hit on Pacioretty complete (thestar.com)
• Chara file handed to prosecutors after police investigation (tsn.ca)
• Probe into Bruins' Chara done, file with prosecutors (cbc.ca)

Bolts uber hack Steve Downie tries to kiss Andrew Ference.

First off, most of you know that I don't like Tampa Bay's uber hack Steve Downie, I just think he is a dirty hockey players that is one stupid move away from another lengthy suspension from the NHL. Steve Downie is also a bit of a punk that has never seemed to grown up,  I would almost put him in the same category as Matt Cooke.

I think eventually these types of players, I call them uber hacks, will get whats coming to him, someone is going to catch him with his head down or finally decide they have seen enough and punch his lights out. Personally, I thought Jack Johnson's  elbow on this P.O.S. during the World Juniors was over blown and warranted. Tonight this lovely piece of dog excrement looks like he tried to kiss or blow Boston Bruins' defenseman Andrew Ference a kiss, here is a a more funny version of the kiss in question.. 

Related articles

• NHL won't fine or suspend Steve Downie for hit on Johnny Boychuk (prohockeytalk.nbcsports.com)
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• Bruins' Boychuk 'feeling fine' after Downie hit (sports.espn.go.com)

Remaking the image of Matt Cooke...

Does anyone believe him? Color me cynical and forgive me if I don't believe him. What is with the media trying to remake the image of Mat Cooke, his image is what it is... Matt Cooke is one of the dirtiest and most despised players in the NHL. Does anyone think that Matt Cooke will no longer be a head hunter on the ice looking to take out another opponent with a dirty hit? I will be the first one to applaud him if he can change.

Pittsburgh Tribune-Review ---- Penguins general manager Ray Shero made it clear Friday that left wing Matt Cooke will remain with the team next season.

Cooke made it clear he is a new man and will become a new player.

A week away from the team — which Cooke requested when his 17-game suspension for elbowing New York Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh was announced — was apparently an eye-opening experience for the NHL`s reigning poster child for dirty play.

Although Cooke did not offer specifics regarding his time away from the team, he requested help of some nature.

"It`s something I did on my own," said Cooke, who talked publicly for the first time since March 21. "After it happened, I asked Ray and ownership if I could leave for a little while. They were OK with it. Everyone has times in their lives when you need help or you need to talk to somebody. I`ve had the chance to work with some people. I spent a week specifically dealing with those things."

Cooke, who has two years remaining on his contract, vows that his days of being suspended are over.

Where have you been NHL? Finally Cooke gets some justice...

Picture from http://www.puckinghockey.com

I am going to piggy back on what Redwing77 said earlier. Now that the NHL has made an example out of Matt Cooke, one must ask the question, what took the NHL head office so long to finally give Matt Cooke what he has deserved for so long. This suspension was long overdue and it’s too short in my opinion, Matt Cooke deserves to be suspended for the rest of this year and all the way through the playoffs and add ten games to start next season, then I would be satisfied. Like I said already, Matt Cooke has deserved this suspension for a very long time and it's time for the NHL to make a statement against d-bags thugs like Matt Cooke. It's time for the NHL to take a stand and say that enough is enough... Don’t get me wrong, I am all for playing hard nosed hockey and playing a physical game with in the rules of the game but you can’t excuse what Cooke does on a day to day basis. Cooke not only crosses the line, he has no idea where the line has been drawn. This suspension should refocus Matt Cooke and remind him that the NHL will no longer tolerate his bag of tricks anymore.

DETROIT --There is only anecdotal evidence that controversial Penguins winger Matt Cooke has found enlightenment after his latest nasty hit -- an elbow to the head of New York Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh on Sunday that led the NHL to suspend him Monday through Round 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

"After the game with me, and when I saw him at the airport and the ride in, he said all the right things," Penguins general manager Ray Shero said yesterday of Cooke. "He takes full responsibility. He sent Ryan McDonagh a text.

"The words are great, but it's going to be your actions when you come back as a player and still be a productive player in the league. That's going to be up to Matt Cooke."

Cooke, who has been suspended five times overall and four in three seasons with the Penguins, has defended himself in previous disciplinary hearings with NHL Hockey Operations. He didn't take that tact Toronto yesterday.

"In the past, I've been very defensive and have argued my point," he said. "The (Players Association) talks, they argue their point; and your agent gets on and defends you a lot.

"I realize and understand more so now than ever that I need to change. That was what I wanted my message to be.

And now after “uber hack” has been suspended and he can’t play for the rest of the regular season and for one series into the NHL playoffs we are to believe that Matt Cooke has finally had an epiphany and seen the light and will now finally play within the rules of the game? Really Matt? Forgive me if I am coming off as being a little bit cynical but the proof is in the pudding and I have seen a lot of foul dishes of pudding served up by Matt Cooke... I also wonder if these masters of thuggery had been punished in the past like they deserved, maybe they wouldn’t still be doing these questionable things. Matt Cooke has felt the sting that he deserved a long time ago and the next time he screws up he should be banished for even longer. I just don’t trust anything this psychopath says until he proves us wrong and Cooke has a long ways to go to prove us wrong. As it stands right now I hold Cooke in a very low regard on the same level as the dog excrement that you scrap off of your shoe - that's pretty low.

Pens’ Thug Matt Cooke checked into the boards by Matt Bradley no one cares…

There is an old saying in hockey you live by the sword you die by the sword; well that sword sliced Matt Cooke in the posterior last night. I was watching the game between Washington and Pittsburgh on Versus last night and during his second game back from his most recent suspension for being a putz on the ice: probably to many fans amusement; the despicable and unlikable Matt Cooke was checked face first into the boards by Capitals winger Matt Bradley, what I find even more amusing that no one is upset about it Cooke getting check head long into the boards.

I spent most of the last hour combing through the major NHL Hockey blogs (Puck Daddy, Kukla’s Korner) and there is no outrage what-so-ever. I even checked a prominent Pittsburg Penguins fan blog and showed little if any empathy or outrage for the Bradley hit on Pens hack Matt Cooke. I think that is a telling story of just how people feel about Matt Cooke.

I think eventually all of the transgressions that Matt Cooke has done on the ice are going to catch up with him, some day someone is going to catch him with his head down and some is going to blast him and he isn’t going to get up. My next question is will anyone but some Penguins fans care?

Fighting in Hockey

Recently, in the last couple of day there has been much discussion about the role of fighting in hockey and whether it should be banned or punished more severely. A research group did a poll that said a majority of Canadians want fighting banned from hockey, I highly doubt it was a poll made up entirely by hockey fans. I would actually like to see the break down of who their flawed poll actually surveyed. I am sure there are a fair number of these people that were surveyed that don’t have a clue what a hockey puck is for and when they see a fight in hockey they are probably clueless to what purpose fighting actually serves in hockey.

Fighting in hockey serves a purpose and keep the players that play by the hockey code honest. If there wasn’t fighting in hockey I would be willing to bet you would see more "guttless pukes" like Matt Cooke or insert your favorite player ___________ skating up and down the ice taking liberties with other teams skilled players because they know they wouldn’t have to fight, they could hide behind the refs and yap because they know they wouldn't have to fight anymore. Basically, I see it all of the time in college hockey now a days where players know they can do bush leagues things because they know that they rarely have to fight. I also think that you would see more questionable checks in retribution for these bush league tactics from players like Cooke.

Savard ready to return - who will the Bruins play next?

There is a very good chance the Bruins are going to play the Penguins in the next round because I think the Canadians are going to be hard pressed to beat the Capitals tonight, it could happen but It’s unlikely that the Canadians advance.

The emerging story line is Matt Cooke versus Marc Savard and the Bruins, most of us don't need to bring up the incident that led to the Marc Savard's concussion. We are well aware of it and I am sure the Penguins fans remember it as well. None the less, this discussion is becoming more prevalent with the prospects of Marc Savard returning from injury; both of players will end up being on the ice at the same time. It's just a matter of time.

I predict that if Matt Cooke even comes near Savard he is going to get blasted and I welcome it. I would love to see Milan Lucic go Evander Kane on Cooke. While I think Cooke is a disgusting piece of camel dung and the lowest of life forms, I don't want to see the Bruins spending all of their time trying to knock the crap out of Matt Cooke; they have to pick their places that won’t affect the team in a negative manner.