Stop me if you’ve heard this before — Matt Cooke is facing a possible suspension for a cheap shot he threw on an opposing player. His latest victim is Colorado Avalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie, who is expected to miss 4-6 weeks with an MCL injury after Cooke took a run at his knee on Monday night.
Cooke tried to hit Barrie well after the puck was gone, and he stuck his knee straight out as Barrie was looking to avoid contact. The end result was a brutal knee-to-knee collision that forced Barrie to leave the game for good. Cooke, a 14-year veteran who is known for being a goon, was assessed a two-minute minor penalty for kneeing.
According to the NHL Player Safety Twitter account, Cooke has been asked to have an in-person hearing with the league for the play. That typically means a suspension of five or more games is on its way, which would not be a surprise considering Cooke’s history of being a dirty player.
The Minnesota Wild went on to win Game 3 to avoid falling into an 0-3 hole. Barrie has emerged as one of the Avalanche’s best puck-moving defenseman this season, so his loss could be huge for this series and beyond.
H/T Eye on Hockey
