Controversial pest Matt Cooke lands job as coach!

Former NHL fiesty forward Matt Cooke has landed a job that places him behind a team’s bench as he was hired on Friday as head coach and general manager of the Vernon Vipers of the British Columbia Hockey League, a junior “A” league (the second-highest tier of junior hockey in Canada).

“I’m incredibly honoured to be named the next Head Coach and General Manager of the Vernon Vipers,” said Cooke. “The Vipers are a team with a rich and storied history, and it’s a privilege to join an organization that has meant so much to the community in Vernon — and to the BCHL and junior hockey across Canada. I’m excited to be a part of rebuilding a culture of excellence here in Vernon and returning this organization to being a perennial contender for the Fred Page Cup.”

Since retiring as a player back in 2015, Cooke has coached at various levels, notably as head coach of the Newfoundland Growlers, ECHL affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs for the 2023-24 season. It however all came to an end, not only for Cooke but also for the franchise, when he team ceased operations and its membership in the ECHL was terminated in April of 2024.

Over a 17-year NHL career, Cooke played a total of 1,046 games and was a member of the 2008–09 Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins. His history of suspensions in the NHL is however what fans first think of when his name gets mentioned.

Cooke received multiple suspensions in the 2008-09 season, including a two-game suspension for a hit to Artem Anisimov and another two-game suspension for a hit to Scott Walker. In 2010, a hit on then Boston Bruins Marc Savard resulted in a concussion and widespread criticism, but no suspension at the time, though the league later implemented a rule addressing such hits.

His final suspension was a seven-game ban for a knee-on-knee hit on Tyson Barrie in the 2014 playoffs. He retired a year later.

Cooke now gets a shot as head coach Vernon Vipers.