Around The NHL: Malkin Done For Season, Martin Brodeur To Miss At Least 2 games, Cooke Suspended 4 Games

Added on Feb 09, 2011 by J Merrill in

NHL

Evengi Malkin Done For Season

As I reported on Sportsbettingworld.com Penguins Forward Evgeni Malkin announced he will be out for the season. He will have surgery on Thursday morning to repair 2 torn ligaments in his right knee, and it will take up to 6 months to rehabilitate.

The 24 year old Malkin was injured last Friday in a 3-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres. He had an MRI exam on Saturday which showed the tears to both the anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his right knee. Malkin, who was the 2009 NHL scoring champion and a Conn Smythe Trophy winner, has 15 goals and 22 assists in 43 games this season.

Martin Brodeur To Miss At Least 2 games

New Jersey Devils goalie Martin Brodeur will miss at least 2 games with a knee sprain. Brodeur underwent an MRI that came back negative, but according to interim coach Jacques Lemaire he hasn’t been practicing and wont be making the trip to Toronto. Lemaire said “He probably won’t play the next two games he hasn’t practiced.”

The NHL’s all-time winningest goaltender suffered the injury during the first period of Sunday’s 4-1 win against the Canadiens in Montreal. He was able to finish the period, but backup goalie Johan Hedberg played the remaining 40 minutes. Brodeur said after Sunnday nights game “I went into a butterfly and my leg got caught up under me and I kind of heard a click[Monday] we’ll see how it feels. I don’t think it’s anything major.”

Devils general manager Lou Lamoriello said on Tuesday he isn’t sure how long he will be out, and it will depend on how Brodeur heals up. “We don’t know how long he’s going to be out. It’s non-operable. He’s going to undergo rehab and physical therapy. When he feels good, that’s when we’ll know he’s OK.”

Cooke Suspended For Four Games

Pittsburgh Penguins forward Matt Cooke has received a four-game suspension for his hit from behind on Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Fedor Tyutin on Tuesday, the NHL announced Wednesday. Cooke was given a 5 minute major for charging for his hit on Tyutin which sent him face-first into the glass.

Fedor Tyutin said after the game it was one of the worst hits he has ever felt. He said “It was the worst hit I’ve ever had from behind. I wasn’t surprised, not when you see Cooke in the highlights all the time for dirty hits.

Cooke however disagrees that the hit was illegal. He said “It used to be you were responsible for yourself if you turned, but that’s not the way anymore. That call’s been called on us four or five times this year. It’s the same thing. He turns and looks and sees me coming. The other defenseman is slowing me down, so I’m not skating full speed.”

This is something that is becoming a pattern with Cooke as more and more players and coaches keep saying this is what he does. Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau isn’t buying the “They pick on us” routine of Cooke. He said “It’s Matt Cooke. Need we say more? It’s not like it’s his first rodeo. He’s done it to everybody. And then he goes to the ref and says ‘What did I do?’ He knows what he did. There’s no doubt in my mind. He’s good at it.”