Matt Cooke: “It’s possible to change.”

Matt Cooke is ready for a new look--though that blue is very nice on him. (Getty Images)

Though we use “Cookie Monster” as a term of endearment for our favorite gap-toothed forward (Sorry, Ovi), Jordan Staal is quick to assure that Matt Cooke “is not a monster like some people think.” Nevertheless, the 2010-11 season brought a lot of attention to Cooke, and it wasn’t for his charity work. Even devoted Penguins fans were having difficulty stepping up to defend Cooke’s on-ice actions. After two suspensions, including one that ended his season in March, #24 had earned a reputation as one of the dirtiest players in the NHL.

Penguins GM Ray Shero made it perfectly clear that he, as well as the Penguins coaching staff, had discussed the offenses with Cooke at length (can you imagine a roasting from Tony Granato? I, personally, would rather not). While this certainly gave Cooke a clue about his precarious status with the team, it was his wife and children that made him realize something still needed to change. “I can take it,” he told Rob Rossi.  “I go back to, ‘Sticks and stones…’ but names — hey, your kids hear the names.”

This summer, Cooke trained just as hard as his teammates in order to help the Penguins recover from an all-too-early playoff exit. Yet, when he left the rink or the gym, he was doing something his teammates weren’t: studying hours and hours of footage; learning how to hit more safely and effectively. According to Cooke, he viewed over 20 hours of video this summer, and plans on utilizing every minute of it to be the best player he can.

Call me an optimist, but I don’t think this is a promise that will remain unfulfilled. Come October, I plan on dusting off my Matt Cooke t-shirt and representing number 24 with pride!

• Matt Cooke
• off-season