So I've been meaning to say what I take from your Bun Cook bio. This is as good a time as any:
1) He was obviously a very good defensive player. I wouldn't use him as a shadow or anything, but he's a fine choice for the defensive conscience of a scoring line.
2) Likewise, you found good evidence of him penalty killing and "puck ragging." I would feel no hesitation using him on a 2nd PK unit in the ATD
3) The evidence of his physical play is... pretty thin. A few big hits, one of whom put Pit Lepine in the hospital? Meh. Compared to what other players in the era did, it's just... I buy that Bun Cook wasn't soft, that he can help perform "puck winning by committee," but I'd never use him as the bodyguard next to 2 soft players, that's for sure.
1. Agree.
Not a world beater but someone who is certainly
above average at the ATD level IMO, though I think he was pretty clearly better than that in the NHL, in the late 20's/early 30's. But you have to adjust here in the ATD, where the players are going to be better top to bottom.
I think he's probably better than above average (good) if you ask him to play a bottom 6 role and focus on defensive hockey more so than contributing evenly to the offensive equation. Remember there are instances beyond simple game reports that talk about him being a star, league wide, defensively. Always seeming to be in the right spot at the critical time is another one of my favorites. Those things illustrate a consistent ability beyond a single game report. There are many instances of this part of his game being brought up, as well as some retrospective accounts.
2. Agree partly.
I think he's capable of playing on a top unit to be honest.
If you see the volume of work he got there, coupled with his defensive reputation, be it game reports or retrospectives, I wouldn't be overly worried about him on a #1 unit. He's got the skating you absolutely want, ability to turn on a dime, in short areas at a very quick rate, and had the long speed. Seems, again IMO, to have good IQ which you definitely want in that arena. Is he Bobby Clarke or even Bob Pulford? Absolutely not.
However, if you read closely, you consistently see Cook's name on the PK. Sometimes you see Boucher, or Bill, or someone else, but his name comes up more consistently as a killer than any of his teammates and when you couple his ability to rag = a top unit player in the ATD.
His best traits as a player seem to be skating/speed, stick handling, defensive impact, smarts, and then it starts to drop off further on an all time scale IMO.
We can get a decent idea of his usage (obviously not enough information to come up with kill rate like we see in the 1960 onward study), which seems like a lot, over a number of years. So without a kill rate available, I then shift to defensive rep for these earlier era guys and his rep seems to be strong defensively. So he has the rep plus the usage and that = 1st unit.
Again, to be clear, I'm not advocating him as someone who's elite/great, just capable of being a solid sidekick to a superior PK forward. On a 2nd unit, I'd agree, he'd certainly be more valuable and that could allow him to get some 2nd team reps on the PP if you needed it.
3. I don't agree with most of this.
For the record I never said he was an elite physical presence. I think he's a notch below the Smokey Harris/Northcott level. Those players consistently played a violent style and there would seem (at least in Harris' case) to be more instance of specific big checks and looking for the heavy going, whereas Cook's instances are more sporadic but enough, over a long enough time that leads me to believe he should be considered a good fore checker and someone who could clearly win battles in the corners, making scoring plays directly from those scrums (bio has this).
He's a willing fighter but not a heavyweight by any stretch. I do agree, as a bodyguard he'd be in way over his head. Then again, on a team with Scott Stevens and Earl Seibert (love the fact that Eddie Shore wouldn't fight him and said if Seibert lost it he'd have killed everyone) I'm not overly worried about needing to police anything given those 2 will be on the ice the majority of the game (50ish minutes combined).
Again, you're only bringing up 2 hits as the primary pieces of evidence. There are other passages that specifically mention his being good in the corners, physical play, checking, etc.
I'm just quickly ripping these from the bio:
Bun started his career by joining his brother out west in the WCHL. He quickly gained a reputation as a hard nosed goal scorer, and the NHL soon took notice of both of the Cook brothers, who were playing with the legendary Nels Stewart while in Saskatchewan.
A solid offensive contributor, Bun was a fan favorite in the old Madison Square Garden because of his hustling speed and reckless physical play. He was a bit of a celebrity, drawing praise from the likes of Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig and Ed Sullivan
His brother Bun was the key to the attack with intricate passing and the ability to move and pass into an open space. He also was no stranger to mucking it up in the corners. Boucher was perhaps the best of the three players, orchestrating the attack with brilliant playmaking skills which often resulted in one of the Cooks pushing the puck into the open net.
Bunny Cook served up a pretty bit of body checking that George McNamara showed him while with the Soo Greyhounds and it sure tickled the crowd, especially when he exchanged bumps with Gordon Fraser and Clem Loughlin.
Bunny Cook, the younger of the pair, was seen here with Sault Ste. Marie the year the Greyhounds went through to win the Allan Cup, and joined brother Bill in Saskatoon the following season. He has more than made good in the “big time”
Both boys are big, rugged chaps, who can paddle their way through the heavy going, and are both possessed of plenty of hockey ability.
“Some premonition kept Boucher idling near the net and his hunch clicked for Bun Cook while struggling for possession of the disc on the right got the rubber in the crook of his stick and wheeling, spun the puck across the goal mouth and Boucher banged it in. What a yell across then."
Hardly had they been parked there when Bunny Cook worked his way out of the corner, stood up under Starr’s shattering check, and slid in close to lay a backhander into the far side of the net from a stick lengths out.
Gagne and Keeling got the gate for banging each other around. Bun Cook whacked a terrific shot at Connell, then took a pass from Frankie Boucher, raced in on Starr’s side and backhanded a terrific shot into the net, and the Garden went wild. Papers and programs showered down onto the ice acclaim the goal that tied the series again.
Picture Taking Spoils Day for Ranger Sextet:
Your Garden ambassador went p***y-footing down the line of lockers, looking for items. But he was soon disillusioned.
“Is your paper taking this picture?” demanded the ordinarily mild-mannered Bun Cook threateningly.
I hastened to put in a disclaimer, having seen Bun in just such other moments body-checking up on the ice.
Frank Boucher scored the opening goal on a clever pass from Bun Cook.
Almost at the outset of the first period, Bun Cook out wrestled two Detroiters along the end boards and passed out in front of the cage. Boucher stepped in fast and batted the puck into the goal.
Bun Cook gave a brilliant exhibition of feinting to get in for a close up shot that brought a remarkable save from Cude.
