Will the NHL ever have the balls to suspend Mike Richards? Apparently not.

Throughout the whole "Head Shot" chaos in the NHL, the poster boy for the problem has been Penguins winger Matt Cooke. And deservedly so. Cooke's reckless play has jeopardized the health of other players, and needs to be curtailed. This is not an article in defense of Matt Cooke.



But I'm beginning to wonder why Philadelphia Flyers Captain Mike Richards isn't receiving the same treatment.

To adequately understand the scope of the comparison, we need to go back to the 2009-10 season.

October 2009:



This is the hit that truly galvanizes the head shot movement. Florida Panther winger David Booth skates towards the middle of the ice, when he collides with a streaking Mike Richards, who forearms him in the head/neck area. Booth never sees him coming and has no way to protect himself. He was knocked out before he ever hit the ice. Richards faced no suspension or discipline at all.


Fast-forward to March of 2010, later that season:



If Richard's hit was the one that truly started the head shot movement, Cooke's hit was the one that fast-tracked it. Again, Boston Bruin Marc Savard comes into the zone at center ice and attempts to throw a shot towards the net. Cooke comes across and decks Savard in the head in a very similar manner to how Booth was hit. Savard never stood a chance, and he too, was unconscious before he went to the ice. The only difference between this hit and the Booth hit is that Cooke was coming at Savard from behind (Savard is a lefty, Booth is a righty). However, it becomes a non-issue because both Booth's and Savard's heads were in very similar positions. Like Richards, Cooke faced no discipline for this hit.

The biggest difference between the two hits is, and I'm convinced that this is why Cooke is the poster child and not Richards, is that David Booth is fine. He's back to playing hockey at a high level. Savard is not. He attempted a comeback this season, but is a very different player, and given his age, may never play again. If the shoe was on the other foot, and it was Booth that had his career ended, the hockey world would look very different right now.


On to other instances:

February 2011: Matt Cooke boards Fedor Tyutin, gets 4 game suspension.



Stupid play all around. Tyutin looks back towards Cooke as he goes into the corner to retrieve the puck. Cooke then hits Tyutin from behind and up high, sending him into the boards. Tyutin ends up being fine, but that certainly doesn't take away from the fact that this is the type of hit that shouldn't happen. Most people end up agreeing with the four game suspension except Jeremy Roenick, who cries for a while on TV.


One month later, March 2011: Matt Cooke elbows Ryan McDonagh, gets a 10 game suspension + first round of the playoffs.



Zero excuse for this hit. Was it the most vicious elbow ever? No. But Matt Cooke knows his reputation, and needed to be a lot smarter than this. He clearly raises his elbow to hit McDonagh in the head. Like Tyutin, McDonagh is fine, but it's almost beside the point. Cooke gets a hefty penalty, now up to 16 games, including 6 playoff games thus far. Most people thought this would be the straw that broke the camels back. A hefty penalty, and a very deserved one.


Now the story turns back to Mike Richards, and this current playoff series with the Buffalo Sabres.

Game 4: Richards' elbow to Patrick Kaleta



This is pretty much as blatant as the McDonagh hit. Richards is digging for a puck along the boards, Kaleta comes in for a hit, and Richards throws his elbow up in Kaleta's face. Just as cowardly as Cooke's elbow. Richards gets a five-minute elbowing major for this hit, but faces no additional discipline.

Game 6: Richards' boarding of Tim Connolly



Yesterday, Richards unleashed the latest of his questionable hits, basically grabbing Sabres center Tim Connolly's nameplate and driving him into the boards. Connolly hits the boards with the crown of his helmet and falls to the ice. According to Sabres coach Lindy Ruff, Connolly is "not doing very good", and almost certainly won't play in Game 7. The NHL again did not hand out any discipline to Richards.


If you were trying to keep score, allow me to help. Matt Cooke and Mike Richards make three similar hits, and the suspensions go as follows:

Matt Cooke: 20/21 games, including 6/7 playoff games.
Mike Richards: 0 games

Now, when making this comparison, I'm obliged to recognize the fact that Cooke was also suspended for two games in November of 2009 after a hit to Rangers forward Artem Anisimov.

But it still begs the question, why does Richards continue to get off scot-free while Matt Cooke has been villefied? Is it because Richards isn't a repeat offender? Well of course he isn't! How can someone be a repeat offender if his dirty play is never punished? The NHL continues to hide behind the "repeat offender" cloak, in hopes that everyone forgets it and nobody asks too many difficult questions. I'm not saying that Richards should get suspended for double-digit games, but the NHL at least needs to acknowledge that this is a problem with him.

Until then, we'll just have to wait for his next victim.

Is Matt Cooke Worth the Aggravation?

Let me preface this by saying something. I like Matt Cooke. Off the ice, he's a good family man, good to the fans, and overall a kind soul. I defended the Savard and Tyutin hits, saying that they were both instances of Cooke not trying to be a goon, but trying to make some sort of a play (the Savard hit, perhaps not as much).

But this is getting old, and I'm not sure there's any legitimate defense for this type of play.



Cooke leads with his left side, stick solely in his right hand, and lifts his elbow straight up into the face of Ryan McDonagh. Cooke isn't making a hockey play here; it's a cheapshot, pure and simple. Much as I dislike that team, I'm impressed at the Rangers expressing some self-control during the remainder of that game, not reverting to Cooke-like tactics.

Not to mention, Cooke's penalty, along with an unfortunate high stick from Matt Niskanen, in all probability cost the Penguins two extremely valuable points.

So the question becomes, do Matt Cooke's redeeming qualities on the ice outweigh his dirty play? Perhaps yesterday was the tipping point. We're a city full of Cooke supporters, but I don't hear a lot of people defending his hit on McDonagh. It was wreckless at best; dangerous at worst. Cooke should count his lucky stars that McDonagh is okay, otherwise I'm not sure what kind of suspension he would be looking at. He could still be looking at not seeing the ice until the playoffs (or perhaps, worse). As a Pens fan, it's difficult to watch. We know the talent that Cooke has. Everyone around the league does. Players like Matt Cooke win championships.

But what good are Cooke's talents when he's suspended, at home with his wife and kids? This has been an incredibly trying and difficult season for the Penguins, the "A" on Cooke's jersey should be a reminder of how rough it's been. He should know that this team needs him, and they need him to play by the book. It's tough enough to win games without the likes of Crosby, Malkin and Orpik. We shouldn't have to deal with these kinds of issues from Matt Cooke. Definitely not in the heat of a March playoff run.

The hit was bad. The timing was worse.

Given his wild inconsistencies, it's difficult to predict exactly what punishment Colin Campbell will dole out. Given that Cooke is a high-profile troublemaker, I wouldn't be surprised if we don't see him for a long while, perhaps the rest of the season. And if that were to be the case, it's justified.

Regardless of what penalty Cooke receives, the relationship between he and the Penguins brass may be in trouble.


UPDATE: Per Nick Kypreos, Cooke has been suspended for 10 games plus the first round of the Playoffs.

The Stars are Falling.

Moving on to the Pens today, whom I’ve done a tremendous job of ignoring. Look for a Steelers season recap sometime this week.

We’ve just about gotten used to watching Pens games without Malkin and Crosby. It’s basically like watching the 2009-10 New Jersey Devils, only less douchier. Somehow, we’ve not only managed to stay afloat, but have navigated these rough seas to a solid January-February record (minus the last two games). However, the Pens undoubtedly face some major problems

Issue #1:



Rumors have been flying around about the status of Crosby. Ask one person and they’ll say that Crosby is seeing stars when he practices, others say he was beaten by baboons outside of Mike Rupp’s Super Bowl party. The line between fact and fiction is opaque at best.

What we do know is this; we likely won’t see Crosby until March, or if Crosby’s injury is as apocalyptic as some are claiming, he’ll be put on season-ending IR prior to the trade deadline (March 1st). In order to have any shot at a deep playoff run, the Penguins need Crosby at 100%. That’s the reason that I don’t fully buy into the severity of these claims. Penguins brass are not stupid. Unless the team were to go into a nuclear tailspin in the next month, it’s smarter to shelf Crosby for the time being.

All that being said, it’s hard to look at what happened to Marc Savard after Matt Cooke’s hit. He’ll never be the same.


Issue #2:

Can the Penguins win the Cup without Evgeni Malkin?



Weird.

Before you point to his numbers for the past two seasons, remember, he’s a Conn Smythe winner. He’s no joke. Even when he’s not at the top of his game, he’s at least taking up one of the opposition’s top defensive pairings. Especially given the improvement in Malkin’s defensive play, his production is nearly impossible to replace.


It’s a scary, yet interesting time to be a Pens fan.


Late News: Matt Cooke suspended 4 games for raping Fedor Tyutin (still the best name in hockey). Should be fun to see what kind of depleted lineup we can field tomorrow night against the Kings. No word on whether or not Cooke will get an extra two games for bitchslapping Tyutin with his Stanley Cup Ring.



Bah.

The Return of Cookie Monster, Heath Miller Needs a Bodyguard

Matt Cooke has just signed a three year deal worth about $2 million per year (According to the Post-Gazette, a cap hit of $1.8 million/year) to stay with the Pens. Cooke, who had a career high in goals last year, potentially took a bit of a hometown discount, as his value would have likely been higher on the open market after July 1. The decision is not that surprising either way. Shero and the Pens needed Cooke’s grittiness and penalty killing ability, and Cooke, a player that has done his fair share of bouncing from team to team, has settled with his family in Pittsburgh, and wanted very much to stay. Pens faithful, rejoice!

Finally some humor arose out of the Ben Roethlisberger saga. Roethlisberger’s football camp for kids has been taken over by Mike Tomlin in the wake of the Roethlisberger accusations, and during a Q and A, Steelers tight end Heath Miller was asked if he too, had a bodyguard.



Miller’s response?

“No, but are you looking to help me out?”

Solid response from a classy human being.

In other crazy news, a Stephen Strasburg rookie card can be all yours!...For the low, low price of $36,000. That’s right, a Stephen Strasburg Bowman 1/1 Rookie Autograph is currently selling on eBay, with the bidding up to over $36K with nearly a week left. I’m a card collector, always have been, always will be, but I could buy a Lexus for that much. Absolutely incredible stuff.

To make this rainy, gray Tuesday a little better, Part 2 of the Pittsburgh Sports-gasm:



It's been 18 years, and I still can't figure out how they left him that open.

What will 2010-11 Bring to the Pittsburgh Penguins- 5 Predictions

It’s been just over a month since the Penguins were ousted from the Stanley Cup Playoffs in a truly painful game 7 against Montreal. If you haven’t had nightmares about that game by now, you might be dead.



That loss has sent us spiraling into the summer of uncertainty. The Penguins could look substantially different come October, thanks to the glory of the salary cap era. So while it’s the offseason and the Pirates are getting torched by Stephen Strasburg (kid has nastier stuff than a back alley whore), I thought it may be fun to take a few guesses as to what the 2010-11 Penguins opener will hold.

1. No Sergei Gonchar

This is a pretty easy one. Gonchar still thinks he has a multi-year deal left, we all know he doesn’t. Shero showed where his priorities lay when he re-signed Letang. Especially now that there has been an expensive precedent set for this offseason on defensemen (thanks, Dennis Seidenburg). His rifle from the point will be sorely missed, and one would have to believe that Letang and Goligoski will struggle to replace what Gonchar brought to the table, particularly in the first part of the season.

2. Number 1 being said, the Penguins will have a new winger on Sid’s line.



Will we have a welcome back party for Colby Armstrong? It’s not out of the realm of possibility. Sid will definitely push for the return of his old best friend. This spot could also be wide open for a guy like Lee Stempniak or Tomas Plekanec. All three of these guys would have cap hits between $2.5-$4M, which would easily be covered once Gonchar was gone. Come on, who from Pittsburgh wouldn’t LOVE to pull that dusty Colby Armstrong jersey out of the closet?

3. No Eric Tangradi….Yet.

Tangradi will absolutely be up for significant time next year, just not in October. The Pens will likely fill the bottom lines with guys like Nick Johnson, Mark Letestu and Dustin Jeffrey. But it won’t take long before Tangradi will just be too beastly for the Baby Pens. Those who have been looking for a Ryan Malone replacement, let me introduce you to Big Dog Tangradi.



4. Unfortunately, no Anton Volchenkov.

Just can’t see it happening at this point. If the Pens can somehow, someway come up with a deal to sign Volchenkov at a reasonable price, I will turn tricks outside of Consol Energy Center just to get tickets.

5. Matt Cooke will beat the bejesus out of somebody



Cooke will celebrate his new 2 year contract by punching the first person who steps in the crease in front of Fleury. Everyone will still love him in Pittsburgh, which is why he’ll stay here. If you ever see Cooke and his family around town, you get the sense that they all really feel at home in Pittsburgh. If Shero offers him a deal slightly higher than what Cooke makes now, he’d immediately sign on that dotted line.

Feel free to tell me how wrong/awesome I am.