Matt Cooke facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Matt Cooke |
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Cooke with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2010
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| Born | September 7, 1978 Belleville, Ontario, Canada |
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| Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | ||
| Weight | 208 lb (94 kg; 14 st 12 lb) | ||
| Position | Left wing | ||
| Played for | Vancouver Canucks Washington Capitals Pittsburgh Penguins Minnesota Wild |
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| Current ECHL coach | Newfoundland Growlers | ||
| National team | .svg){kind=small} Canada |
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| NHL Draft | 144th overall, 1997 Vancouver Canucks |
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| Playing career | 1998–2015 | ||
Matthew David Cooke (born September 7, 1978) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He played for sixteen seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL), playing 1046 games. Cooke won the famous Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009. He also helped Team Canada win a gold medal at the 2004 World Championships.
Besides the Penguins, Cooke also played for the Vancouver Canucks, Washington Capitals, and Minnesota Wild. He was born in Belleville, Ontario, but grew up in Stirling, Ontario. Cooke later became a head coach for the Newfoundland Growlers in the 2023-24 season.
Cooke was known for his tough and aggressive playing style on the ice. This style sometimes led to him being called a "pest" by other players. During his career, he faced criticism and was sometimes suspended for hits that injured opposing players. After a suspension in 2011, Cooke promised to change his playing style. However, he received another suspension in 2014 for a knee-on-knee hit.
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Playing career
When he was young, Cooke played in the 1992 Quebec International Pee-Wee Hockey Tournament. He played for the Quinte minor ice hockey team from Belleville, Ontario.
Cooke played junior ice hockey in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) for three seasons. He mostly played for the Windsor Spitfires. In his second OHL season, he scored an impressive 95 points. The Vancouver Canucks then drafted him 144th overall in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft. After being drafted, he played one more OHL season. He was traded from Windsor to the Kingston Frontenacs in December 1997.
Vancouver Canucks
Cooke started his professional career by splitting time between the Canucks and their minor league team, the Syracuse Crunch. By the 2000-01 season, he was playing for the Canucks full-time.
Cooke usually played as a "checking winger." This means his main job was to stop the other team's best players and create turnovers. He also showed he could score, getting a career-high 42 points in the 2002-03 season. He was even named the team's unsung hero, winning the Fred J. Hume Award.
In the 2003-04 season, after returning from an injury, he moved up to the Canucks' top offensive line. This happened because of a suspension to another player, Todd Bertuzzi. Cooke joined star players Markus Näslund and Brendan Morrison for the last 13 games and the playoffs.
One of Cooke's most memorable moments with the Canucks happened in the 2004 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The Canucks were playing the Calgary Flames in a deciding Game 7. With only five seconds left in the game, and his team losing by one goal, Cooke dramatically scored to tie the game! However, the Canucks lost in overtime.
After the 2004-05 NHL season was cancelled due to a lockout, Cooke played two more seasons with the Canucks. His contract was set to end in 2008. So, he was traded to the Washington Capitals for Matt Pettinger. This trade ended his nine seasons with the Canucks. At that time, he was 12th all-time in games played for the team, with 556 games.
Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins
Cooke played 17 games with the Capitals to finish the 2007-08 season. In July 2008, Cooke signed a two-year contract with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He got injured early in his first season with the Penguins, missing a few games. In December 2008, he was named an alternate captain for a month. He later faced a two-game suspension in January 2009 for an aggressive hit.
Cooke achieved his biggest career highlight with Pittsburgh: winning the Stanley Cup in 2009!
In the 2010 Stanley Cup playoffs, Cooke scored a new career high with four playoff goals. Two of these goals came in a key Game 6 against the Ottawa Senators. In June 2010, Cooke signed a new three-year contract to stay with the Penguins.
Minnesota Wild
After his contract with the Penguins ended, Cooke signed a three-year deal with the Minnesota Wild in July 2013. This brought him back to the Western Conference, where he had started his career with the Canucks. In his first season with the Wild (2013-14), he played in all 82 games. He scored 10 goals and had 18 assists, for a total of 28 points.
Cooke had an injury-filled 2014-15 season, playing in only 29 games. To manage their team's salary, the Wild decided to buy out the final year of his contract in June 2015. This meant he was no longer with the team.
Coaching career
On October 7, 2023, Cooke became the head coach of the Newfoundland Growlers in the ECHL. He stayed in this role until the Growlers team had to stop playing on April 2, 2024.
International play
| Medal record | ||
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| Representing Canada |
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| Ice hockey | ||
| World Championships | ||
| Gold | 2004 Czech Republic | |
Cooke first played for Canada's national junior team at the 1998 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. He scored two points in six games. However, Canada did not win a medal that year, finishing eighth.
He then played for Team Canada at the 2004 Men's World Ice Hockey Championships. Cooke helped Canada win the gold medal, scoring four points in nine games.
Personal life
Cooke is married to Michelle, whom he married in 2001. They have three children: a daughter, a son, and a stepdaughter. Cooke and Michelle used to run a charity called The Cooke Family Foundation of Hope, based in Vancouver. It was closed in 2016.
Awards
- Fred J. Hume Award (Vancouver Canucks' unsung hero) – 2003
- Gold medal (Team Canada) – 2004 World Championships
- Stanley Cup – 2009
Images for kids
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Cooke with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2010
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Matt Cooke in 2006
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Cooke with the Vancouver Canucks in 2007.
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Cooke with the Capitals in March 2008.
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Cooke with the Penguins
