Two Stanley Cups, an Olympic gold medal, a World Cup championship, a Canada Cup, three Hart trophies, six Art Ross trophies and two Conn Smythe trophies later, Mario Lemieux, former player and current co-owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins, skated to the Hockey Hall of Fame as one of the greatest players in hockey history.
After seventeen years on the ice in a Penguins’ sweater, it’s easy to assume he’s seen it all. But after Friday’s game against the Islanders, Lemieux was quick to criticize the league for its leniency on Islander players after sixty minutes of aggressive plays.
And it wouldn’t be a completely unfair conclusion to make. That is, if he hadn’t just cut a deal with the devil himself—the infamous Matt Cooke.
By Harrini Krishnan
With a few of the Pen’s key players like Crosby and Malkin on injured reserve, Friday night’s game against the Islanders seemed like a better match than usual when the Penguins play a team scraping the bottom of the barrel in the standings. But the crushing 9-3 defeat at the Coliseum was, to say the least, embarrassing.
The game itself however, was certainly entertaining. The Pens skated out on the Coliseum ice like cocky gladiators and subsequently got schooled by merciless beasts.
After 10 ejections, 15 fighting majors, 20 misconducts and 346 penalty minutes, the league suspended two Islanders, and fined the team a total of 100 grand. To poor college students like me, that’s four years worth of tuition. To Mario Lemieux, it’s a “travesty.”
“It was painful to watch the game I love turn into a sideshow like that. The N.H.L. had a chance to send a clear and strong message that those kinds of actions are unacceptable and embarrassing to the sport. It failed.”
Fair enough. I mean the game was more of a giant brawl than a pro hockey game. But with all due respect, where exactly do you get off pointing fingers when, ironically, you’re just as much an enabler as the rest of them? I mean, the Penguins lead the league in penalty minutes, majors and fights.
Which brings me to Matt Cooke. Cooke, who is still serving his four-game suspension from last week, for an illegal check from behind, was just re-signed to a three-year contract this past summer.
After that nasty hit on Savard last year, Cooke should be cleaning up his act and looking for redemption. Rather, he decides to take the other route and hang on to his bad boy image by blindsiding and knee-on-kneeing players whenever he pleases.
“We must make it clear that those kinds of actions will not be tolerated and will be met with meaningful disciplinary action. If the events relating to Friday night reflect the state of the league, I need to rethink whether I want to be a part of it,” Lemieux told reporters.
Oh ok, so I have a question of Mr. Lemieux:
where exactly were you last Tuesday when Cooke boarded Tyutin with an unhealthy smile on his face? Or how about that hit on Savard, you know, the one that could have permanently ruined his career?
Don’t get me wrong; I have nothing but respect for a veteran like Lemieux. He’s a hockey legend and one of my personal heroes.
But come on, Mario, did you really think anyone was going to take your comments seriously?