NO SUSPENSION FOR MATT COOKE

As per Bob McKenzie of TSN, the controversial Penguin will not be suspended after his hearing with the NHL's Colin Campbell today.

McKenzie said,"If this hit happens next season it is a suspension. And if it's a repeat offender like Cooke, the suspension will be stiffer again."

He also added that it was a matter of consistency for the league, which did not suspend Mike Richards for his hit on Florida's David Booth earlier this season.

As I said last night, I'm guessing the Penguins rematch Boston on March 18 will make for interesting television, especially now that Cooke will be in the lineup and not serving the suspension.

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MARC SAVARD HAS A GRADE TWO CONCUSSION

The official diagnosis is in on Boston center Marc Savard, and he's got a Grade II concussion, thanks to the highly controversial hit courtesy of Matt Cooke on Sunday.

According to the NHL.com article, "the difference between a Grade II and a Grade I concussion is memory loss after the injury. After sustaining a Grade II concussion, an athlete does not remember events following the impact and may not be able to recall events that led up to the injury."

Savard is suffering from headaches and fatigue, and there is no timetable yet for his return, although it has been suggested that he may miss the rest of the season. Savard previously experienced concussions in 2001, 2002 and 2004.

As for Cooke, expect to hear something from the NHL today regarding the length of his league-mandated time-out. He has apparently tried to reach out to Savard, according to Dan Bylsma, but the precise message Cooke wanted to deliver was not known. For what it's worth, Cooke had this to say publicly about the play: "It felt like shoulder on shoulder to me. I don't know. You don't want to see anyone get hurt. I said sorry to him the best I could."

The Penguins and Bruins will meet again in Boston on March 18, and if Cooke gets a five-game suspension that would start immediately, that would be the fifth game. I sure hope for his sake that none of his Penguin teammates will have to face retaliation from the Bruins for his reckless actions.



BRUINS' SAVARD DIAGNOSED WITH GRADE 2 CONCUSSION [TSN.ca]
Savard has a grade two concussion [NHL.com]

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THE GROWING LEGEND OF CROSBY V. SAVARD

Remember when Sidney Crosby was playing sans visor during the Bruins game on Sunday? Conspiracy theories have flown since then, but Puck Daddy gives Mark Madden credit for breaking the story wide open with his recent interview of Chris Kunitz, who said:

"I hear him and one of the other Boston players had some words after one of their goals, and then came back to the bench ... I didn't know whatever happened, if it was scratched or whatever. But I noticed the next shift he had it off and was letting the other player know he wasn't intimidated. I guess the guy made some kind of remark, and Sid went and took it off, and maybe challenged the guy a little. Obviously nothing had come about it, but obviously you see the heart and the grit that Sid has ..."

Madden filled in the rest of the blanks on his WXDX blog with his take of the incident:

Bruins center Marc Savard taunted Crosby after a Boston goal, and the taunting continued until both players neared their benches. Crosby challenged Savard to fight, and Savard responded: "Take off that [sissy] shield, and I'll be glad to."

So Crosby handed his helmet to equipment manager Dana Heinze and told him to remove the visor. Crosby took the ice for his next shift sans shield but Savard backed down, thereby looking like the [sissy] he accused Crosby of being.

Score one for Sid in the mind games department and cue a verbal beatdown for Savard, who took a brutal aural blistering from the Penguins bench throughout the rest of the afternoon (and no doubt lost a little respect in the eyes of his teammates when his bluff got called).

I think it's pretty obvious what was going on here, and it's not good for Savard. He ran his mouth and did not back it up, period. And now he's getting called on it. Add Savard's name to the rapidly-growing list of NHL players who feel the need to poke the lion that is Sidney Crosby. Maybe one day, guys like Savard, Ovechkin, Semin, etc., will learn their lesson, but don't hold your breath on that day happening anytime soon.

Bruins player wimps out after Crosby removes visor for fight [Puck Daddy]
Mark Madden [105.9 The X]

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