Time will tell for Cooke. I hope he is being sincere.
TSN posted this article today and I really enjoyed it. Matt Cooke has turned into an effective player who has changed his game after being public enemy number one.
I know some people will hate him forever, despite how he has changed, and so don't bother reading it as you won't enjoy it.
However, I personally really value a guy who recognizes he's made mistakes and actively takes steps to be a different person.
I think Cooke is one of the league's best stories.
http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=434297
Time will tell for Cooke. I hope he is being sincere.
14 Team Keeper PTS, +/-, PIM's *.3 20 Players, 4 Center, 8 Wing, 6 D-men, 2 Goalies, NHL cap hit $91 Million Total
Centers Tavares, Giroux, Draisaitl, Eichel
Wing Eberle, Kessel, Schenn, Hall, Nichushkin, Stone, B. Ryan, Connolly
Defence Karlsson, OEL, Shattenkirk, Murphy, Gardiner, Daley
Goal Lehner, Schneider
Prospects Shinkaruk, Frk, Pulock, Marner, Zacha, Rod, Kapanen, Leblanc, Kristo, McNeill, Noesen, Tuch
Good article.
I liked this line by Cooke.
"It's just a read. If you don't change the way you visually see the game, then change is impossible."
It really is a pretty impressive overhaul by Cooke.
Over time, a player's (unconsciously) whole-self establishes a pattern of how to react to an opposing player.
Hockey reactions/hockey-sense is like a first language... you don't have to think about what to do/say, it just happens quickly/instantaneously.
But Cooke retrained his mind to react differently.
And that makes the key difference.
It's why I've always been a big fan of two-way players & back-checkers.
Anybody can be good at back-checking, you just have to train yourself to understand the importance.
Some guys, like Kovalchuk/Grabner, could train themselves to do it for a month... and then always reverted back to cherry-picking.
Anyways... not trying to stir up a new debate on Kovy/Grabner, but just trying to emphasize how impressive it is for a player (Cooke) to completely re-work they way they THINK the game.
Pretty cool!
But but but Karlsson!?!?
EDIT: I don't think he did it on purpose. Melynk just is a funny man.
Last edited by littleranger; October 16, 2013 at 5:48 PM.
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