The Good, the Bad and the Ugly

Good

The NHL has finally done something right.

On Monday, Matt Cooke received a lengthy suspension from the NHL for his recent elbow on New York Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh. The suspension will see Cooke miss the remainder of the season and the first round of the playoffs. Although the punishment is harsh, it’s about time the NHL made a statement about dangerous hits in the game.

Cooke has become well known around the league for his dirty hits, already having been suspended four previous times, including just last month after hitting Blue Jackets’ Fedor Tyutin from behind. Of course, Cooke might be most well known for his devastating hit on Boston forward Marc Savard, which he escaped without any repercussions.

After so much controversy surrounding the NHL, especially after the Chara-Pacioretty hit, it was good that the NHL finally decided to make a bold statement against dangerous hits in the game.

The Pittsburgh Penguins organization also deserves a thumbs up for sticking by their strong stance on headshots and supporting the NHL’s decisions.

Hopefully the fifth time is the charm and Cooke will finally learn his lesson.

Bad

The future of women’s hockey at St. Mary’s University is in limbo.

Last Friday, the women’s varsity hockey team was cut from the school’s athletic program after it was decided the school had to trim down their operating budget. However, after receiving an abundance of letters and emails supporting the women’s program, it was decided the fate of the team would actually be decided next week.

Although the women’s hockey team is the most expensive of all the women’s programs at the school, with an approximate budget of $60,000, it seems entirely unfair to completely axe the program.

Obviously with the outpouring support the women’s team has received, it’s clear the majority of people want to see the program remain at the school. With the great steps forward that women’s hockey has taken in recent years, it’s a shame we could see a step backward.

Hopefully the board of governors will seriously consider every option to avoid having to eliminate women’s hockey completely. If not, then it’s a shame that an issue of money could prevent the continuation of hockey for women at St. Mary’s.

Ugly

Unfortunately, Barry Bonds is back in the spotlight.

Bonds’ long-awaited perjury trail has finally begun this week. Of course, Bonds has been accused of lying to the grand jury about accusations of steroid use during his career as an MLB player.

Of course, Bonds innocently claims he thought he was taking “flax seed oil and arthritis cream” instead of being given performance-enhancing drugs.

It’s pretty unbelievable that Bonds could unknowingly take steroids, and prosecutors for the trial are sticking to their story that Bonds lied to the jury, even after it was revealed he wouldn’t be prosecuted if he admitted to using the drugs.

Hasn’t this gone on long enough? This trial has been seven years in the making, but does anyone even care anymore? Most people at this point assume Bonds must have been aware of what he was doing — yet the U.S. government still insists on prosecuting him.

This trial will continue to unfold as new evidence is presented and Bonds continues to sweat in the defendant’s chair. But guilty or not, the sport of baseball has definitely already suffered.