The aggravating thing about Wilson is that his situation is similar to Brad Marchand. Both are talented players who could have successful careers without the cheap shots and shenanigans. When you see a total goon acting like a barbarian on the ice, it's expected - and that is why guys like Cooke don't really have a place in this league anymore. But Wilson is good at other things besides hurting people, so it makes his behavior more puzzling.
- GalacticStone
For most of his time in Pittsburgh Cooke was a solid third line player. A lot people forget this nowadays. He was instrumental in making the third line click during the Pens 2009 Cup run (and a solid third line is often necessary in order to win the Cup). His suspension for elbowing McDonaugh in the head just before the 2011 or 12 playoffs, resulting in his suspension throughout those playoffs, really hurt the Pens that playoffs and expedited his exit from the team.
Yes he was very dirty but he
was an NHL-caliber player while he was in Pittsburgh. True, he was not as good as Wilson and nowhere near as good and Marchand but he was definitely several notches above the likes of Raffi Torres and Patrick Kaleta in terms of talent (so was Carcillo, for that matter, who was a solid third line player for a number of years).
As for Marchand I don't know how Crosby was able to stand playing on the same line as him in the 2016 World Cup
. I am sure that Crosby and Bergeron got along well together but Marchand seems like the type of guy who is obnoxious both on and off the ice.