Former NHL Veteran Joins Maple Leafs Organization As Head Coach
The Newfoundland Growlers announced their new head coach for the upcoming season and it is former NHLer Matt Cooke. The announcement was made this morning on Twitter.
Cooke is the fourth head coach in franchise history, replacing Eric Wellwood, who was promoted to an assistant coach role with the Marlies over the summer. This will be Cooke's first time playing the role of a head coach but he has lots of playing experience to draw upon.
Cooke's Storied Career Prepares Him For Coaching Duties
Cooke was drafted in the 6th round in the 1997 NHL entry draft by the Vancouver Canucks. He ended up playing 1046 career NHL games and recorded 167 goals and 231 assists for 398 points split between four teams: Vancouver, Washington, Minnesota, and Pittsburgh. During his time in the show he also racked up over 1100 career penalty minutes, including 21 fighting majors despite his somewhat limited stature as he stands at just 5'11". Not exactly tall for such a physical player.
Cooke earned a reputation as not just a tough guy, but as someone who did cross the line on occasion. The most infamous example of this was his hit on Marc Savard in 2010 that prompted the league to make a rules change in an effort to eliminate such hits from the game.
Another New Face For the Growlers Coaching Staff
The Growlers announced another hire at the same time in Adam Pardy, who joins the organization as a player development coach. Pardy, 39, is another former 6th round pick who played in over 300 career NHL games with six teams. Pardy played his last pro season with the Growlers in the 2018-19 season.
The Growlers begin their season on October 20th when they host the Reading Royals. Puck drop is at 8:30 p.m. EST.
As read on Matt Cooke hired to become the head coach of the Growlers
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Should more teams bring in players like Cooke to be coaches? | ||
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