GAME DAY: Ottawa Senators @ Pittsburgh Penguins - 7:00pm ET - Wed. Feb. 13th, 2013

Lavoie: No hearing for Penguins forward Matt Cooke after the incident that injured Erik Karlsson of the Ottawa Senators last night.

https://twitter.com/RenLavoieRDS/status/302058369332674560

No surprise. As angry as we are, there's nothing there to warrant discipline.

The Matt Cooke stuff needs to stop, it's embarrassing. He has been a COMPLETELY different guy the last few years. Really dug his game and the person lately. This was just an accident.

Hoags wrote:@ian_mendes: In last 4 years, the three best Sens players - Alfredsson/Spezza/Karlsson have all suffered significant injuries in games vs Pittsburgh.

That's beyond infuriating. Sigh.

I was going to mention that Karlsson's real coming out party was against Pittsburgh last season and they gooned him out of the game.

Having said that, I'm not convinced there was anything intentional in this instance.

Ev wrote:The Matt Cooke stuff needs to stop, it's embarrassing. He has been a COMPLETELY different guy the last few years. Really dug his game and the person lately. This was just an accident.

Dude, no he isn't. He was going in for a slew foot there and that's pretty clear. Just as dangerous as a head shot. You do not take guys into the boards with your knee up and you are not taught to do it that way either. The slew foot is the biggest on ice issue in terms of players safety right now and I am 100% of the opinion that anything deemed a slew foot should be suspendable.

If Cooke doesn't try and slew foot Karlsson or take his knee into the boards (w/e his intent was there) then Karlsson plays the rest of that game. It was reckless and it was a dangerous and pretty useless hit to begin with.

A few random thoughts on this very depressing Valentine's Day.

1) Doesn't matter about Cooke now. Yeah, it was a careless play, but nothing will undo the damage. Focussing on Cooke will just lead to rage.

2) The Alfie may have played his last game with Karlsson. I really hope The Alfie comes back for one more kick at the can (and the Olympics) next year.

3) I don't even feel like watching the games now. Every game I watch, I'll be thinking: "Man…if only Karlsson were out there." You could see the differenece immediately afterwards in the way the team played. Guys like Lundin and Methot carrying the puck up ice. Just not even in the same galaxy.

4) It's not like I really thought we'd win the Cup this year, but I was fairly sure we'd at least make the playoffs, and once you're in the playoffs, anything can happen. You always have that hope. We'd have the best defenceman in the league, a fresh Spezza coming back (in theory), and manning the crease. Things would look great. Now…emptiness. I thought the franchise had gone through it's gloom & doom. Looks like we have to suffer a little more before the light at the end of the tunnel.

5) How does one properly get through the mourning period? I don't think I'll be "over" this until October, when the puck drops and EK is back out there.

6) Silver lining time: At least this happened early in the year (which sounds dumb), but if this had happened in another month or two, we might've still squeaked into the playoffs, but would've been doomed. This way, Karlsson gets all the time in the world to recover properly (same with Spezza), and we'll likely get another reasonably high draft pick. Plus, we'll likely KNOW that we're sellers at the deadline. We don't have a lot of veteran guys to trade away, but Gonchar should be a goner, and who knows, maybe a huge return for .

NEELY wrote:

Ev wrote:The Matt Cooke stuff needs to stop, it's embarrassing. He has been a COMPLETELY different guy the last few years. Really dug his game and the person lately. This was just an accident.

Dude, no he isn't. He was going in for a slew foot there and that's pretty clear. Just as dangerous as a head shot. You do not take guys into the boards with your knee up and you are not taught to do it that way either. The slew foot is the biggest on ice issue in terms of players safety right now and I am 100% of the opinion that anything deemed a slew foot should be suspendable.

If Cooke doesn't try and slew foot Karlsson or take his knee into the boards (w/e his intent was there) then Karlsson plays the rest of that game. It was reckless and it was a dangerous and pretty useless hit to begin with.

Then why is every single NHL person on the planet saying it was just a freak accident? c'mon man. It might be reckless but it's stupid for people to think he wanted to actually cut him.

Yup, if there is a silver lining in this whole thing it's the Karlsson and Spezza are both out at the best possible time. Playoffs are a long shot to say the least and if the Sens could fill their roster with another top 10 pick they will be laughing all the way to the playoffs for years on end.

i'm fine with going after the guy for revenge though. Just a play that didn't warrant any official discipline and the league got it right.

if this is Chris Neil on Kris Letang a lot of people would feel differently.

Ev wrote:

NEELY wrote:

Ev wrote:The Matt Cooke stuff needs to stop, it's embarrassing. He has been a COMPLETELY different guy the last few years. Really dug his game and the person lately. This was just an accident.

Dude, no he isn't. He was going in for a slew foot there and that's pretty clear. Just as dangerous as a head shot. You do not take guys into the boards with your knee up and you are not taught to do it that way either. The slew foot is the biggest on ice issue in terms of players safety right now and I am 100% of the opinion that anything deemed a slew foot should be suspendable.

If Cooke doesn't try and slew foot Karlsson or take his knee into the boards (w/e his intent was there) then Karlsson plays the rest of that game. It was reckless and it was a dangerous and pretty useless hit to begin with.

Then why is every single NHL person on the planet saying it was just a freak accident? c'mon man. It might be reckless but it's stupid for people to think he wanted to actually cut him.

Cutting Karlsson was an freak thing, no question. The fact that it was a dirty play or an attempt at one on the best player in the NHL makes it just as bad. There was ill intent that intire process and it ended worse than anyone could have imagined short of being paralyzed or something along those lines. The slew foot is the dirtiest play in the game.

He didn't try and cut him but he 100% was there to try and hurt him and he did, just not the way he intended to.

Ev wrote:i'm fine with going after the guy for revenge though. Just a play that didn't warrant any official discipline and the league got it right.

if this is Chris Neil on Kris Letang a lot of people would feel differently.

I would call that a smart veteran play, in that case. No foolin'.

Ev wrote:

NEELY wrote:

Ev wrote:The Matt Cooke stuff needs to stop, it's embarrassing. He has been a COMPLETELY different guy the last few years. Really dug his game and the person lately. This was just an accident.

Dude, no he isn't. He was going in for a slew foot there and that's pretty clear. Just as dangerous as a head shot. You do not take guys into the boards with your knee up and you are not taught to do it that way either. The slew foot is the biggest on ice issue in terms of players safety right now and I am 100% of the opinion that anything deemed a slew foot should be suspendable.

If Cooke doesn't try and slew foot Karlsson or take his knee into the boards (w/e his intent was there) then Karlsson plays the rest of that game. It was reckless and it was a dangerous and pretty useless hit to begin with.

Then why is every single NHL person on the planet saying it was just a freak accident? c'mon man. It might be reckless but it's stupid for people to think he wanted to actually cut him.

Because Matt Cooke doesn't -- and shouldn't -- get the benefit of *any* doubt. There was no reason for his foot to be up unless he was (as NEELY said) trying to hurt him in some way. I do not believe he wanted to lacerate his Achilles - as much as I despise Cooke I don't think he is a sociopath - but there is no way he wasn't trying to either get his knee, or slewfoot him, or even just a kick on the back of the ankle. No-one is taught to skate like that to the boards. He has been a despicable player in this game for many years and I don not believe a tiger changes his stripes that late in his career. He wasn't converted -- he was scared into compliancy by the threat of losing not only a part of his paycheck, but the threat of never having another paycheck again. He is *not* a changed man.

NEELY wrote:Yup, if there is a silver lining in this whole thing it's the Karlsson and Spezza are both out at the best possible time. Playoffs are a long shot to say the least and if the Sens could fill their roster with another top 10 pick they will be laughing all the way to the playoffs for years on end.

Unfortunately we won't know until we know. If he can only resume on-ice activities after 6 months in a cast then there's no way he'd be anywhere near 100% in October. Let's hope it's only 3-4 months as was the case with Bieksa.

The layoff will give a Karlsson a chance to bulk up, which he needs to make an impact in this league.

Prags, he won't be in a cast for 6 months. A month, I think, at most...and then a whole poop load of slow and painful rehab. But, even worst-case, he should be ready for training camp in September...especially if he has some of those freak-Alfie-esque recovery powers.

Tim's right, this injury came at the best possible time all things considered. Hopefully the Sens don't make a knee jerk reaction move to this and if something is in the works it's for the long term success of the franchise.

I bet he's ready to 'go' by early May. He's a super athlete, better conditioned than anyone else and 3 months is the best case scenario - which is what I think it'll be for him. He'll be 100% by October - if all things go to plan, that's all we can ask for right now.

He'll be ready to play by October but he might not have 100% strength until a year later.

From what I read Bieksa had the same injury and it took a year before he was 100%.

EK better be wearing Kevlar socks after this.

Hoags wrote:EK better be wearing Kevlar socks after this.

Melnyk should shell out for a pair for everyone.