Statement Analysis: Matt Cooke

Is Matt Cooke telling the truth?

He has a lengthy history of dirty hits and injuring players.  Was this just an unlucky accident, or did he deliberately cut the Senators' star player?  

Matt Cooke's own words will tell us the truth.  

Statement Analysis is in bold type. 

PITTSBURGH -- The Ottawa Senators lost a lot more than a game.

Star defenceman Erik Karlsson went down with a left Achilles injury when he was cut by a skate blade late in the second period in the Senators' 4-2 loss to Pittsburgh on Wednesday night.

"It's a tough blow," Senators captain Daniel Alfredsson said. "Obviously, the way he's playing and how much he means to our team, it feels terrible and I feel really bad for him."

The Norris Trophy winner last season as the NHL's top defenceman, Karlsson was cut by Penguins forward Matt Cooke's skate blade as the two tangled along the boards. The Senators said Karlsson will need surgery.

"We all know who's involved in it," Ottawa coach Paul MacLean said about Cooke. "That's just the way it is. The injury to Erik was unfortunate and it happens on a nothing play that could've potentially been whistled down."

Cooke has been suspended several times for much criticized hits, some of them involving head-shots that injured opposing players. In 2011, Cooke was suspended for the Penguins' final 10 regular-season games and the first round of the Playoffs after an elbow to the head of New York Rangers' defenceman Ryan McDonagh.

Please note that a dirty hit on Boston star Marc Savard ended Savard's career; impacting his life (concussion) and his team.  Karlson is the star of his team. 

Karlsson fell to the ice and was in visible pain after tangling with Cooke. He needed help getting back to the bench and displayed frustration, throwing his stick against the boards before disappearing down the runway.

"Him and I were engaged and he went down screaming," Cooke said. "I didn't even know what happened. It's a complete accident and obviously I feel terrible about it. It has happened a few times over the past couple years and it's scary."

Passivity in language seeks to conceal identity or responsibility.  "The gun went off..." is an example of passivity.  In "the gun went off" the subject avoids telling who pulled the trigger.  If someone does not know, then the passivity is appropriate.  

Note here that Cooke uses passive language twice:

a.  "he went down" is passive.  He avoids telling us what caused him to go down.  Does he not know, since he was there?  

b.  "It has happened..."

He avoids telling us how it happened in the past.  Was he involved?  Was it from his skate? Or were these incidents in which he was not present and did not have knowledge of?  If so, why mention it?

c.  Note that which is in the negative is sensitive:  "I didn't even know what..."

d.  Note that the negative sentence is made additionally sensitive: "even"

e.  Note that it as an "accident" is made sensitive by the additional word, "complete"  This additional word weakens the assertion that it was an accident, as it shows his need for emphasis. 

f.  Note that the word "obviously" is also sensitive as he expects us to take something without question. 

There are enough indicators within his statement to conclude that Cooke is not truthful about what he did to the Senator's star player. 

When considering allowing this dangerous player to continue to play in the league, NHL dead of discipline, Brendan Shanahan should read this analysis, or put Matt Cooke up on a polygraph and learn the truth.  

It is unknown how Marc Savard, and his family, suffers today.  Suffice to say that his life was altered, against his will, and he would likely still be playing today if not for the deliberate head =hunting hit by Matt Cooke.