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Was anyone truly surprised by the incident last night in which Minnesota Wild forward Matt Cooke stuck out his knee and injured Colorado Avalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie? Don't tell me that you actually bought into Cooke's whole "I'm a changed man" routine that he's been spouting ever since he realized his NHL career was in jeopardy because of his staggering past rap sheet.
Let me tell you something about pledges like that: They never truly last. It's always just a matter of time until the next incident.
A snake may shed its skin. It may lie in the weeds for a long period of time, seemingly dormant. Guess what: I'ts still a snake. Are you going to trust that the snake has suddenly been tamed? If it's bitten you before but its handlers (i.e., coaches) swear it has been devenomized, you'd be a fool not to still be wary.
A snake will always be snake. The wolf in sheep's clothing is still a wolf.
Matt Cooke is still Matt Cooke. Do you want to know why, in my opinion, he can't truly get away from leading with knees or elbows? He hits but doesn't really want to, so he looks for shortcuts. Rather than playing a clean hitting game, he sticks out elbows and knees.
Even when you deliver a clean body check in a legitimate attempt to create a turnover, it can hurt and wear you down, too. You feel the impact, even if the other guy gets the worse end of it. It takes courage to hit cleanly.
I laughed out loud a few years ago when I found out that the same folks who scoffed at Jaromir Jagr being nominated for the Masterton Trophy were the ones who had made Cooke a nominee. Neither guy won the award, but that's beside the point.
Let's weigh the scales here. Jagr, one of the greatest players ever to play this game, got nominated that year because he keeps himself in incredible physical condition and has spent the latter part of his career trying to help mentor young players. Cooke's act of "perseverance and dedication" was basically to try harder for a little while to play within the rules -- before the next inevitable major incident took place at some then-unknown future date.
Such a credit to the game, that Matt Cooke.
I have seen players like Cooke before. Bryan Marchment was always "remorseful" when he took out someone's knee -- until the next time he did it. Ulf Samuelsson couldn't be trusted on the ice. Darcy Tucker tried to make himself feared, but was such a lightweight that opposing players just shrugged him off most of the time.
For all that hockey's critics hoot and holler about players whose job it is to fight, it is the players like Matt Cooke and Raffi Torres that really put a blight on our game.
Cooke is getting an in-person hearing, so the only question now is whether he sits for the rest of the series or gets something that guarantees he's done for the playoffs. In my view, Cooke has forfeited his privilege to play this game.
But the real fools here are the ones who actually trusted that a serial recidivist had truly reformed for good. As any cop or any judge how many repeated felons swear to them they've changed their ways. The criminal may stay out of trouble for awhile. Even so, any cop or judge worth his salt knows that, in all probability, they'll be crossing paths with the same person again in the future.
I would have loved for Matt Cooke to have proven me wrong last time, but I knew in my heart he wouldn't. He couldn't restrain himself, despite at least a half dozen chances and past suspensions. Now the NHL needs to do the right thing.
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Paul Stewart holds the distinction of being the first U.S.-born citizen to make it to the NHL as both a player and referee. On March 15, 2003, he became the first American-born referee to officiate in 1,000 NHL games.
Today, Stewart is an officiating and league discipline consultant for the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) and serves as director of hockey officiating for the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC).
The longtime referee heads Officiating by Stewart, a consulting, training and evaluation service for officials. Stewart also maintains a busy schedule as a public speaker, fund raiser and master-of-ceremonies for a host of private, corporate and public events. As a non-hockey venture, he is the owner of Lest We Forget.
Stewart is currently working with a co-author on an autobiography.
Blogger •Former NHL Referee • 
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