Thanks to Michael Russo, Wild beat writer for the Minneapolis Star Tribune, on providing the following quotes from Tuesday’s practice in St. Paul, Minn., where the Avalanche opens the season Thursday at the Xcel Energy Center. Mr. Russo and I traded quotes on the upcoming home-and-home series between the Central Division rivals, with the emphasis being the rematch of last season’s seven-game, first-round series the Wild won after Minnesota’s lost the first two games. Of course, the Game 3 knee-on-knee hit by the Minnesota’s Matt Cooke on Avs defenseman Tyson Barrie seemed to turn the tide, with Colorado losing its best offensive defenseman to go along with injured key forwards Matt Duchene and John Mitchell. The Avs lost four of the final five games.
Here’s what Wild coach Mike Yeo said about Cooke’s first game against Colorado and whether Cooke will be able to play as aggressively this season despite being a mainstay on the repeat offender list: “This is a guy who has made a career out of playing a hard game. We talked a lot about how he has changed his game. He was doing a great job. Obviously what happened last year was unfortunate, but he’s been in this situation before where he was able to come back and play a hard game and a strong game but at the same time, walk the line and make sure not to go over it.”
Matt Cooke, on playing Colorado for the first time and being potentially under the gun: “I’ve been in this situation before. Itap nothing new. I’ve got to go out and play hard. Thatap what I’ll do. Itap a new year. Itap the first game against them obviously, but I got to play again last year, which was important.”
Russo asked Cooke how he weighs playing his game without going over the line again: “I’m back on that (repeat offender) list. I’ve been in this position before. Before last playoffs, I was three years without any supplementary discipline at all. I believe I was doing all the right things and this was an incident that came from a little bit of playoff intensity and a little bit of bad luck. I’ve got to move on from it. I believe in the work that I have put in and the work that I continue to put in to ensure myself the ability to go out and play safely.”
Russo asked Cooke if there are examples of him being a changed player: “Itap happened in this preseason. There’s been times that I have a guy and know that I can hit him but don’t. Or, I grab him and hold him as opposed to trying to hit him. Those are things that are instilled in my game now and have made me a better player. I’ll continue to have those in my game.”
Cody McLeod is one of the Avalanche tough guys who may come after Cooke. Let’s face it, McLeod, a fourth-line forward and assistant captain, would undoubtedly like to tangle with Cooke, and Cooke knows it. “I can’t really predict situations,” Cooke told Russo. “I choose not to sit here and worry about it either. I’ve got to prepare. Itap another game. Itap Game 1 and these two points are important, especially the way our division and our conference are lined up. My focus is on our intention to win the game.”
