Matt Cooke had many ugly moments in his NHL career, one of which involved a massive hit on Boston Bruins forward Marc Savard.
When Cooke decided to hit Marc Savard up high during a Penguins game against the Boston Bruins in March 2010, Savard suffered a severe concussion and was forced to spend months in dark rooms following the event.
Cooke managed to avoid a penalty during the play and the Department of Player Safety of the National Hockey League did not suspend him. But karma would finally find him.
Cooke and Evander Kane, an Atlanta Thrashers rookie at the time, got into a brawl one month after Cooke's hit on Marc Savard. Evander Kane ended the bout quickly by throwing Matt Cooke unconscious with a single blow.
During a recent appearance on "Pardon My Take," Kane said that the Boston Bruins sent him a gift basket during the offseason after he knocked out Matt Cooke.
"He was a dirty, dirty player. When it happened — I mean, I probably watched it, I'm not even over-exaggerating, 300 times," Kane said of the video of him punching out Cooke. "And then I got, I actually got a gift basket from the Boston Bruins later that year in the offseason because of what he did to Marc Savard."
After hitting Marc Savard, Cooke continued to play in the National Hockey League for five more years. During that time, he had many more contentious incidents, such as stomping on Erik Karlsson's leg or ankle. After the event was reviewed, Cooke was again given a clean sheet despite the Swedish defenseman cutting his Achilles tendon.
The Boston Bruins effectively thanked Evander Kane for bringing down Matt Cooke and daring him to a fight after the Penguins forward's attack on Marc Savard by handing him a gift basket.
