As he skated off the ice, limping from a knee-on-knee hit by the Wild's Matt Cooke, Colorado defenseman Tyson Barrie uttered two words: "I'm done.'' Avalanche coach Patrick Roy had a few more to say about the incident after his team's 1-0 overtime loss at Xcel Energy Center.
Roy called the hit "the play of the game,'' but its impact will last beyond Monday night's loss. Barrie, who led Colorado's defensemen with 13 goals during the regular season, will be sidelined four to six weeks with a medial collateral ligament injury. He left the ice immediately after the hit, which happened at two minutes, two seconds of the second period, and his absence left the Avalanche short a defenseman for the rest of a hard-fought overtime game.
Cooke was assessed a two-minute penalty for kneeing, but late Monday night, the NHL offered to give him an in-person disciplinary hearing. That allows the league to give him a suspension exceeding five games. Cooke has the option of conducting the hearing via phone.
Despite Cooke's history of league suspensions, he is not considered a repeat offender because his last NHL suspension occurred more than 18 months ago.
Cooke was not made available for comment after the game, and Wild coach Mike Yeo said he did not see the hit. Roy declined to say whether Cooke should get additional punishment, but he wasn't shy in voicing his opinion about the importance of the collision.
"A knee on Tyson Barrie, without a doubt, that's the play of the game,'' Roy said. "We lost our best offensive defenseman, and I think it could have been a five-minute major. Plus, I think that would have broken [the Wild's] momentum.
"I'm sure the league will make the right call. We're very confident they will make the right call.''
Cooke has continued his efforts to rehabilitate a once-shady reputation during his first season with the Wild. Cooke led the team in hits during the regular season and tops the Wild with 18 hits in the playoffs, including a game-high six Monday.
