Matt Cooke
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the Irish-American entomologist, see Matthew Cooke.
 |
|
| Position | Left Wing |
| Shoots | Left |
| Nickname(s) | Cooker, Cookie, the Cookie Monster |
| Height Weight |
5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 205 lb (93 kg/14 st 9 lb) |
| NHL Team F. teams |
Washington Capitals Vancouver Canucks |
| Nationality |  Canada |
| Born | September 7, 1978 , Belleville, ON |
| NHL Draft | 144th overall, 1997 Vancouver Canucks |
| Pro career | 1998 – present |
Matt Cooke (born September 7, 1978 in Belleville, Ontario) is a professional ice hockey player. He currently plays for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League. His playing style has made him effective as a "pest" and he is therefore known for his ability to aggravate opponents to his team's advantage.
Contents |
[edit] Playing career
Cooke played major junior in the Ontario Hockey League for three seasons predominantly with the Windsor Spitfires prior to playing professionally. Recording an impressive 96-point (10th overall in the league), 146-penalty-minute campaign in his second OHL season, he was drafted 144th overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft. Returning to the OHL for a third season after being drafted, he was traded from Windsor to Kingston on December 17, 1997, in exchange for Brent L'Hereux. Cooke would finish the season and his OHL career with Kingston.
Splitting the 1998–99 and 1999–2000 seasons between the Canucks and their AHL afilliate, the Syracuse Crunch, Cooke would play for the Canucks full-time in 2000-01.
Typically playing in the role of a checking winger, Cooke recorded a career-high 42 points in 2002-03 and earned the Fred J. Hume Award as the team's unsung hero.[1] Continuing to show offensive capabilities, after returning from an injury in 2003-04, he was promoted to the Canucks' top line towards the end of the season. On account of Todd Bertuzzi's infamous suspension, Cooke joined Markus Naslund and Brendan Morrison on the Canucks' top line for the final thirteen games of the season and the playoffs.[2]
Perhaps Cooke's most memorable moment with the Canucks occurred during this stint in a first round, game seven match against the Calgary Flames. With the Canucks down by a goal in the final minute of the series-deciding game, Cooke drove the net on a Markus Naslund rush and dramatically tied the score with 5 seconds to go in regulation[3] – it was also Cooke's second goal of the game. However, as the Canucks were short-handed at the time, Calgary began the overtime period on the powerplay and clinched the series.
Upon elimination, Cooke made his first international appearance for Team Canada since the 1998 World Juniors at the 2004 World Championships. Playing with teammate Brendan Morrison, Cooke helped Canada clinch gold, tallying 4 points in 9 games.
After a year of inactivity on account of the 2004-05 NHL lockout, Cooke would play two more full seasons with the Canucks, scoring at a similar pace. However, with Cooke's contract set to expire at the end of the 2007-08 season, he was sent to the Washington Capitals in exchange for Matt Pettinger at the trade deadline. The trade ended Cooke's tenure with the Canucks in his ninth season with the club. At the time of the trade, he was 12th all-time in games played as a Canuck with 556.[4]
Finishing the 2007-08 season, Cooke would play 17 games with the Capitals, scoring 7 points.
[edit] Awards & achievements
- Fred J. Hume Award (Vancouver Canucks' unsung hero) - 2003
- Gold medal (Team Canada) - 2004 World Championships
[edit] Career statistics
| Regular Season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1995–96 | Windsor Spitfires | OHL | 61 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 102 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | ||
| 1996–97 | Windsor Spitfires | OHL | 65 | 45 | 50 | 95 | 146 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 10 | ||
| 1997–98 | Windsor Spitfires | OHL | 23 | 14 | 19 | 33 | 50 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1997–98 | Kingston Frontenacs | OHL | 25 | 8 | 13 | 21 | 49 | 12 | 8 | 8 | 16 | 20 | ||
| 1998–99 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 30 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 27 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1998–99 | Syracuse Crunch | AHL | 37 | 15 | 18 | 33 | 119 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1999–00 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 51 | 5 | 7 | 12 | 39 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 1999–00 | Syracuse Crunch | AHL | 18 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 27 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2000–01 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 81 | 14 | 13 | 27 | 94 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| 2001–02 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 82 | 13 | 20 | 33 | 111 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 | ||
| 2002–03 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 82 | 15 | 27 | 42 | 82 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 12 | ||
| 2003–04 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 53 | 11 | 12 | 23 | 73 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 12 | ||
| 2005–06 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 45 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 71 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2006–07 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 81 | 10 | 20 | 30 | 64 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2007–08 | Vancouver Canucks | NHL | 61 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 64 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||
| 2007–08 | Washington Capitals | NHL | 17 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 27 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | ||
| NHL Totals | 583 | 86 | 124 | 210 | 652 | 39 | 8 | 4 | 12 | 34 | ||||
[edit] International play
| Medal record | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Competitor for Canada |
|||
| Men's ice hockey | |||
| World Championships | |||
| Gold | 2004 | Czech Republic | |
Cooke has played for Team Canada in the following competitions:
International statistics
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Canada | WJC | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | |
| 2004 | Canada | WC | 9 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | |
| Junior int'l totals | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | |||
| Senior int'l totals | 9 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 | |||
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ Canucks lose Northwest, now face Blues. CBC Sports (2003-04-6). Retrieved on 2008-05-30.
- ^ Canucks sign Cooke to 3-year contract. USA Today (2005-09-21). Retrieved on 2008-05-30.
- ^ Calgary vs. Vancouver. USA Today (2004-04-19). Retrieved on 2008-05-30.
- ^ Canuck Career Leaders. Retrieved on 2008-05-30.
