Monday Night Playoff Rundown:
Well, Matt Cooke has done it again. A knee-on-knee hit on Colorado's Tyson Barrie on Monday night has earned him an in-person meeting with new sheriff Stephane Quintal. I assume moments like these are exactly why Brendan Shanahan ejected for his new, low-key gig as Maple Leafs President.
If you missed it:
Though Cooke has been at the centre of controversial plays like Erik Karlsson's Achilles injury over the past 18 months, he hasn't been suspended since 2011, so he's not a "repeat offender" at this time, according to league rules. Still, his history has to come into play when his punishment is determined. Meanwhile, the Avalanche are estimating that Barrie, a key member of their defense, is out for four-to-six weeks—likely the duration of the playoffs.
Cooke was a pest during his time in Vancouver, but he was suspended just once, for two games in 2004, according to this list, which was culled from TSN.ca. I remember him taking some heat here for being unwilling to fight, but most of the damage to his reputation came after he left Vancouver at the 2008 trade deadline.
Do you remember any especially egregious behaviour from Cooke during his time with the Canucks?
It looks like Cooke's coach Mike Yeo and his ex-coach Dan Bylsma both improved their job security on Monday night as their teams showed signs of life in their respective series.
Coach Kevin Dineen?
Kevin Dineen was mentioned in yesterday's comments as a possible worthy successor to John Tortorella. He's currently in Finland coaching Canada's Under-18 team, so let's see if he can match his success from the Olympics with the women's program.
Canada has a 3-0-1 record heading into the quarterfinal round after a shootout loss to Russia on Tuesday. Click here for the standings and schedule, and here for lots more info on the tournament, which features a number of top draft prospects. Sweden's Willie Nylander led all scorers through Monday's games with seven points.
Hansen, Weber to Worlds:
Speaking of international competition, a couple more Canucks have been added to various rosters for the upcoming World Championships in Belarus in May.
Jannik Hansen will join Team Denmark, though there's no word on Nick Jensen. And Yannick Weber's off to play for Team Switzerland once again.
The Wreck of the John Tortorella:
A little musical entertainment to wrap up today. From the twisted mind of morning host Clay St. Thomas at JR-FM, here's his take on the sorry state of the Canucks, adapted from Gordon Lightfoot's Canadian anthem "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald." Don't worry—it's not quite as long.