In March 2010, Cooke and the Penguins were facing the Boston Bruins when he decided to hit Marc Savard up high, causing him to have severe concussion issues and to be in completely dark rooms for months after the incident.
Somehow, Cooke escaped a penalty on the play and was not suspended by the National Hockey League's Department of Player Safety. But eventually, karma would catch up to him.
One month after his hit on Marc Savard, Cooke engaged in a fight with Evander Kane, who was a rookie with the Atlanta Thrashers at the time. The fight didn't last very long as Evander Kane knocked Matt Cooke out with one punch.
Kane was recently a guest on 'Pardon My Take' and said that in the offseason following his knockout of Matt Cooke, he received a gift basket from the Boston Bruins.
Cooke would go on to play five more years in the National Hockey League following his hit on Marc Savard and has plenty more controversial moments, including stomping on the back of Erik Karlsson's leg/ankle. The Swedish defenceman suffered a cut to his Achilles tendon and after reviewing the incident, Cooke once again got off without any supplemental discipline.
By giving Evander Kane a gift basket, the Boston Bruins were essentially thanking him for challenging Matt Cooke to a fight and taking him down after what the Penguins forward did to Marc Savard.
POLL | ||
JUIN 11 | 159 ANSWERS Evander Kane shares a team sent him a gift basket after one-punching Matt Cooke Do you think Matt Cooke should have been suspended for his hit on Marc Savard? | ||
Yes | 134 | 84.3 % |
No | 25 | 15.7 % |
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