Cooke suspension by NHL sends right message

If this is the beginning of a new era of NHL discipline, Matt Cooke's 10-plus game suspension handed down by Colin Campbell on Monday is a good start.

Cooke's ban could last up to 17 games, depending on the length of the Penguins' first-round playoff series. That's not even in the top 10 list of longest suspensions, but it is one of the longest given a player for a check to the head, not for stick-swinging or other aberrant behavior.

Once upon a time, not that long ago, Cooke's elbow to the jaw of the Rangers' Ryan McDonagh might have started a brawl. It might have gotten Cooke a four- or five-game suspension. But it would have been business as usual with the NHL and its leaders talking about reducing shots to the head and concussions, while not exacting a real price for head shots that could cause concussions.

It was just a year and two weeks ago that Cooke knocked out the Bruins' Marc Savard with a forearm to the head just as Savard let a shot go. Cooke wasn't suspended and Savard, after just a 10-game stint on the ice this season, may never return to the NHL due to a concussion. The resulting outcry forced everyone around the league to take another look at hits once thought to be over the line, but not as bad as clubbing someone with a stick or sucker-punching another player.

But now, a week after the league's general managers met to try and toughen rules for hits to the head -- and Cooke's own general manager, Ray Shero, was among the loudest voices calling for the complete elimination of all head shots -- Campbell has taken away all the speculation and second-guessing from the disciplinary process.

The harsh penalty also puts the spotlight on the Penguins. Shero has spoken out often, with star Sidney Crosby sidelined for over two months with a concussion; owner Mario Lemieux spoke up with a strongly worded statement after the Penguins-Islanders free-for-all on Feb. 11, decrying the state of the league.

Now, everyone from Lemieux on down has to turn his focus to his own house and keep it in order. Dan Bylsma, the gentlemanly coach who has had to defend Cooke in the past -- and assigned Cooke an alternate captain's "A" with Crosby out -- sounded like he was done with defending the indefensible.

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"When Matt Cooke plays within the rules, it's been very successful for us and was a big part of us going on that Stanley Cup run," Bylsma told reporters in Detroit on Monday. "That's the rub. It's got to be within the rules, and we're working on that now."

Shero concurred, issuing this statement: "The suspension is warranted because that's exactly the kind of hit we're trying to get out of the game. Head shots have no place in hockey. We've told Matt in no uncertain terms that this kind of action on the ice is unacceptable and cannot happen. Head shots must be dealt with severely, and the Pittsburgh Penguins support the NHL in sending this very strong message."

Cooke is not Chris Simon or Marty McSorley, not an enforcer who plays sparingly. Cooke is a fairly integral part of the Penguins' defense-first style, the only way they can hope to win with Crosby only 50-50 to return before the start of the postseason and Evgeni Malkin done for the year with a torn ACL.

Now, the Penguins will have to get through the final 10 games of a tight race for home ice, plus the first round, without one of their top agitators. The next time Cooke suits up for a game, it could be next preseason.

That's the sort of message the NHL has needed to send to recidivist head-shot offenders such as Cooke: Go head-hunting, and your team will suffer as much as you do.

It's a good start.