Go to about the :55 mark and watch what Matt Cooke does to Bruins' Marc Savard.
When you grew up in Boston during the Bobby Orr years, you could not help but be a Bruins fan, a hockey fan. And though it's been far too long since the Bruins have seriously contended for a Stanley Cup, I've remained a fan since those days.
Colin Campbell is a Senior VP of the National Hockey League. He's a former player and coach and has a son who currently plays for the Florida Panthers. And he should know better. His recent ruling that this was a blow to Savard's shoulder, not head, and his therefore mandating no suspension for the culprit, Matt Cooke, is an epic mistake. And one that will cost the floundering league. Was it just a few weeks ago that the surging U.S. Men's Hockey Team's performance in the Winter Olympus had many pundits suggesting a boost for the NHL?
By ruling this hit non-flagrant and not worthy of any type of suspension for Cooke, already suspended once this year for a similar hit, the league is essentially saying that this sort of violent action is acceptable. It also leaves the Bruins, who will play the Penguins next week, thinking about vengeance. Talk shows are buzzing with discussion about their "heart" and "nerve" and whether not exacting a revenge means that they will be pushovers for the rest of their march to the playoffs. Some are saying that the Bruins will get even with Cooke... or with one of the Penguins' best players (Savard is the Bruins top goal scorer). One person called in to say that they should go after Colin Cooke's son who plays on another team. Crazy. And sad.
Watch it again. From the :55 second to about the 1:10 mark. Pathetic.
And I'm done with it.
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