Cooke: “I have to play a physical style”

At the 2004 World Championship, a senior IIHF official confessed to me that he barely knew anything about Matt Cooke prior to the tournament in Prague and Ostrava, but by the end, he was wowed by the relentless, effective physical play of this Vancouver winger en route to Canadian gold. Earlier that same spring, Cooke had scored a dramatic late tying goal versus the Calgary Flames in Game Seven of the first round, although the Flames ultimately prevailed in OT.

The 29-year-old, entering his ninth season in a Canuck uniform, brings an element of bulldog tenacity that, at times, is reminiscent of John Tonelli with the 1980’s New York Islanders. If he can keep it up throughout 2007-08, that could be crucial to Vancouver’s playoff hopes.

Cooke shared his thoughts on a multitude of topics with HockeyAdventure.com during the Canucks training camp at Bear Mountain Arena in Victoria, BC.

On how the evolution of his training program since his first NHL camp a decade ago: For that first camp, you just worked out in advance with the regular strength exercises: squats, bench press, that sort of thing. It was very basic, generic exercises. Now everything’s become so sport-specific and dynamic that there isn’t a lot of time to do those strength exercises. You really have to make time because of the big focus on building up the core muscles. There’s been almost an epidemic of core injuries in this game, like groin pulls, so it’s one of those issues you really have to get a grasp on. Those strength exercises have almost taken second fiddle now. That’s because they don’t translate directly to what has to happen on the ice.

On his slow offensive start in 2006-07: I think I had expectations that [the scoring] was just going to come. It took me a little while to understand what I needed to do, but once I got back to playing the way I should, everything else took care of itself. I didn’t have to focus on points or scoring at all, and in fact, I had a really good second half with about 25 points. I just have to focus on the game that I have to go out and play, and the rest will take care of itself. I’ve scored in the past when the opportunity arises, but for me to get that opportunity, I have to play a physical style so that the ice opens up, not just for me, but for everybody.

On how much impact his absence and Ryan Kesler’s had on Vancouver’s second-round exit versus Anaheim: [laughs] You’d like to think a lot, but we’re only two guys. Sure, maybe we could have added a little bit of energy and grit to the lineup, but the guys did an unbelievable job, and played well without us.

On the decision of GM Dave Nonis to re-sign Trevor Linden: Trevor’s a key component of this organization, and has been for a long time. When you look at the commitment Trevor’s made to keep himself physically fit and able to go out and compete and play every night, it’s nice that Dave realizes that and got the deal done.

On winning the 2004 IIHF World Championship with Roberto Luongo, Willie Mitchell and Brendan Morrison: It’s something we hold dear to ourselves because it was a great accomplishment. But by the same token, our focus is the other championship, the Stanley Cup, and that’s the one that carries you through the full season and the playoffs. We made a good step toward that last year, and we’re looking forward to building on it this year.

On why he supports major junior hockey with his charitable Cooke’s Corner suite at Vancouver Giants games: It’s the future of the game. The suite thing is an opportunity for my wife Michelle and I to give back through our foundation. It’s also great hockey. Major junior has evolved since I played at that level, and part of that has to do with the training and preparation teams go through to have successful organizations.

On whether he indulged his antique-collecting passion with a visit to Victoria’s famous Antique Row: I have in the past when I was here just with my family, but I haven’t since we’ve been here this time. I’m just trying to focus on camp.