Confirmed with Link: Matt Cooke (Released from Wild)

[grN1g]

Makes me wonder what kind of player Cooke could have been if his coaches never pushed him to be just a goon.

top 6 grinding forward with IQ, and above average skill? could have been a completely different player.

 

[BigT2002]

Makes me wonder what kind of player Cooke could have been if his coaches never pushed him to be just a goon.

top 6 grinding forward with IQ, and above average skill? could have been a completely different player.

Concur. He is also pretty damn fast.

 

[Avder]

Perfectly willing to eat crow on this one. Absolutely hated the signing for a couple days, softened and thought that it would probably improve the team, and now I'm loving the signing.

The guy is just night and day from Cal in terms of smarts on the ice. He picks his spots rather than chasing hits and is creating far more turnovers. He also has much better puck skills.

Granted a couple of those goals were fluky and his production will come back down, but he and Brodziak look great out there.

Fletcher had some brass ones to go grab this guy but it's looking pretty damn smart.

I can't say I would ever warm up to Bertuzzi though.

Same here on Bertuuzi. To say I hate Bertuuzi would be a gross understatement. I am of the mind that he should never have been allowed on a hockey rink ever again after the incident and I automatically hate whatever team he plays for. I used to actually really like the Red Wings. Now I can't friggin' stand them and because Bertuuzi has been there so long I'll probably permanently hate them at this point.

 

[Captain Hook]

Makes me wonder what kind of player Cooke could have been if his coaches never pushed him to be just a goon.

top 6 grinding forward with IQ, and above average skill? could have been a completely different player.

Not sure but Cooke's actual hockey ability has always been overshadowed by his occasional acts of thuggery. He's a good hockey player.

 

[AKL]

He's gotta be the most unique player in the league.

 

[rynryn]

Not sure but Cooke's actual hockey ability has always been overshadowed by his occasional acts of thuggery. He's a good hockey player.

yeah i learned to appreciate him at a distance...with Pittsburgh i noticed his hockey. still though he was a weasel but he was a good player. couldn't see past the weasel in games against.

 

[CookieCrumbs*]

LOVE THE COOKER!

I was pretty upset he didn't make his way back home to the Canucks.

 

[Zen Arcade]

Glad to see Cooke doing well for you guys.

He's an awesome third liner, even though the agitating aspect of his game has become a lot less pronounced.

 

[MuckOG]

Glad to see Cooke doing well for you guys.

He's an awesome third liner, even though the agitating aspect of his game has become a lot less pronounced.

It has a bit...but he has drawn 2 or 3 penalties so far this season....so he still has a little bit of agitator to his game.

More than anything, he is just a very effective 3rd liner and is an extremely smart hockey player.

 

[tomgilbertfan]

Cooke also has 0 PIM so far. Pretty impressive.

 

[Zen Arcade]

It has a bit...but he has drawn 2 or 3 penalties so far this season....so he still has a little bit of agitator to his game.

More than anything, he is just a very effective 3rd liner and is an extremely smart hockey player.

He'll still draw his fair share of penalties, I just miss the yapping followed by him having this huge, toothless smile on his face while the opposing player just fumes.

Cooke also has 0 PIM so far. Pretty impressive.

That is impressive, hopefully he's stopped getting penalties for being Matt Cooke. There were a lot of times in the past couple of years where the refs would call coincidental minors when Cooke hadn't done anything to warrant a penalty. Because getting punched in the face is apparently an obscure form of holding.

 

[Jarick]

For me, having a guy who plays hockey well and doesn't shy away from physical play is far more important than a guy who can't play hockey and chases hits constantly. An effective hit is not physically destroying another player but separating him from the puck so your team can retrieve it. Cooke seems to understand that now.

 

[DrPP]

What's the best way to prepare crow?

 

[Jarick]

I'd assume on the grill.

 

[MuckOG]

What's the best way to prepare crow?

Heavily marinated, cook it to medium-rare then take it off the heat and cover it with tin foil. Be sure not to overcook it or it will taste too "gamey".

 

[Jarick]

I'd assume you want to bring the internal temp up to at least 165. Birds carry a lot of diseases.

 

[vitogor]

I've done a 180, from hating the signing with passion to loving it. So pass that crow please.

 

[Avder]

I'd assume you want to bring the internal temp up to at least 165. Birds carry a lot of diseases.

I'd take it a bit higher than that, or at least keep it at 165 as long as possible without drying it out.

Maybe you could deep fry the damn thing. Batter it up and fry it like you're eating the KFC of Crow.

 

[Lapa]

Interesting poll

 

[Don'tcry4mejanhrdina]

Glad he's working out for you guys. He can flat out play hockey, really does a lot of things to help a team win. The Pens really miss him on the third line.

 

[Minnesota]

"Cooke to Kaleta: I can help you change."

 

[BoyntBergie]

Same here on Bertuuzi. To say I hate Bertuuzi would be a gross understatement. I am of the mind that he should never have been allowed on a hockey rink ever again after the incident and I automatically hate whatever team he plays for. I used to actually really like the Red Wings. Now I can't friggin' stand them and because Bertuuzi has been there so long I'll probably permanently hate them at this point.

Just curious, but why do you hate Bertuzzi and not Cooke?

They both have ended careers, though I'd say Cooke's track record of nastiness is much more lengthy than Bertuzzi's.

 

[Don'tcry4mejanhrdina]

Just curious, but why do you hate Bertuzzi and not Cooke?

They both have ended careers, though I'd say Cooke's track record of nastiness is much more lengthy than Bertuzzi's.

Well Cooke's hit was within the rules of the game at the time, which is why he didn't receive any punishment for his hit on Savard. People seem to forget that. Mike Richards had a hit that was almost exactly the same right around the same time and nobody harps on him. Colby Armstrong had thrown at least a few of those hits. Cooke has thrown many illegal checks in his career, but that wasn't one of them. People can't seem to understand that. Hard to break a rule that doesn't exist yet.

Bertuzzi on the other hand had followed around Moore and basically assaulted him, it was nothing even close to a hockey play. It was also clearly premeditated and not just a split second decision.

 

[tomgilbertfan]

Also Bertuzzi's comments towards the Wild fans during the 03 playoffs. Won't need our game 6 tickets eh?

 

[Waffle Fries]

I'm glad that you guys have warmed up to Cooke. Like the other Pens fans have said here, I was surprised at quite the level of disgust that was originally directed towards him here, but I knew as soon as you saw him play a few games you'd absolutely love him. He's not going to stay a PPG player, but he will always put in his best effort and help the team anyway he can.

I was (and still am) upset that we let him go, but it's nice to see him doing well.