Matt Cooke

Matthew David Cooke (born September 7, 1978) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player currently an unrestricted free agent. Cooke won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL) during the 2008–09 NHL season and was member of the Team Canada team that won the gold medal at the 2004 World Championships. In addition to having previously played for the Penguins, he has also played in the NHL with the Vancouver Canucks, Washington Capitals and Minnesota Wild. Cooke was born in Belleville, Ontario, but grew up in Stirling, Ontario. Cooke's playing style of intentionally injuring opponents has earned him the reputation of one of the NHL's "pests". During his NHL career, Cooke has been criticized and often suspended for hits, some involving head-shots, or knee-on-knee collisions that have injured opposing players. Most notable was a hit to the head on Marc Savard, which was an important factor influencing NHL rule changes intended to deter such conduct. Years later, during a lawsuit against the league, an email produced during the litigation from the then disciplinarian Colin Campbell revealed that he—an NHL executive—blamed Savard for keeping his head down. But other commentators disagree and condemn the hit. After his longest suspension in 2011, Cooke has pledged to change his style of play, though had another lengthy suspension in the 2014 playoffs for a knee-on-knee hit delivered to Tyson Barrie of the Colorado Avalanche. Although he is no longer a member of the Vancouver Canucks' organization, he is still active in the Vancouver community with his wife, as they run The Cooke Family Foundation of Hope.