Colorado Avalanche News: Matt Cooke Update

“I’ve got a lot of words for Matt Cooke, but none that you can say on television.” – Kyle Keefe

Colorado Avalanche fans do not like

. Colorado Avalanche players do not like Matt Cooke. Colorado Avalanche media do not like Matt Cooke.

Turns out, Matt Cooke is pretty unpopular league-wide.

Cooke is a supposedly reformed goon playing for the Minnesota Wild. He has a rap sheet with the NHL as long as your arm, as the old cliche goes. Only that’s not exaggerating. He’s been involved in dozens of plays considered dirty. He’s been suspended 11 times and fined an additional four. There have been a lot of other plays that could have garnered suspensions or at least fines.

Well, you know that other cliche about chickens coming home to roost? Guess who’s clucking away in Matt Cooke’s living room.

Minnesota Wild beat writer Michael Russo reported that Cooke was out with a “lower body injry” and might have to undergo season-ending surgery.

Minnesota Wild head coach Mike Yeo and the team reported on Friday that Cooke underwent surgery for a sports hernia. He’s expected to be out five to six weeks.

Anyway, some speculation has come — some are saying the injury arose when Matt Cooke took a knee-on-knee hit from Edmonton Oilers skater Rob Kinkhammer:

If Matt Cooke’s season had ended prematurely because of a knee-on-knee hit, that would be poetic justice indeed because, of course, we all hate Cooke because of his knee-on-knee hit of Avalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie:

Now, Russo doubts the Cooke injury resulted from the knee-on-knee hit. Apparently coach Yeo remarked that the injury that’s taking Cooke out now is something he’s been playing with for quite awhile. Now, that could be disappointing if not for Russo’s speculation:

"“He was injured the second game of the season at Colorado and played with the injury the next six games in agony. As it turns out, Cooke told me in December this was no normal hip flexor injury. He had three torn muscles, including the Psoas Major, which attaches to the femur, and two other supporting hip flexor muscles.”"

Even better than a knee-on-knee hit taking out the goon Cooke, an injury inflicted on him by the Avalanche! Now, I was at the game in question. I didn’t see a play that could have resulted in Cooke’s injury. However, Cooke went into the game knowing he’d be public enemy #1 on the ice and in the whole building. Well, it turns out that Cooke is universally disliked. Some Minnesota fans don’t like this:

Yes, here in Colorado Avalanche territory we’re crying into our beer that Cooke is getting “kneed and elbowed without any penalty called.” Actually, one of my fellow Avalanche fans summed it up best:

Indeed, I’m partial to Altitude TV’s Kyle Keefe’s remark that his words for Matt Cooke can’t be said on television.

Concerning the most affected party, Tyson Barrie, hes been typically reticent about bad-mouthing Cooke. He remarked that he wouldn’t start much because of his size in relation to the goon. However, during an interview with Altitude TV’s Julie Browman, Barrie remarked  on the hardship the knee injury caused him:

"“It was tough sitting up in the press box watching your team lose in Game 7. It was frustrating in the summer, too, because I wasn’t sure if my knee would allow me to be the same player. I spent the summer trying to get back to it.”"

So, yes, Minnesota Wild fans, Cooke might have been getting man-handled without too much empathy from the officials. But guess what — live by the sword, die by the sword.

Next: Cooke and Yeo Unrepentant About Barrie Hit