NOTE: This is my last blog post for a while. Taking a week off. Brant James is in the pilot's seat beginning with Friday's paper.

Anyway, I thought Matt Cooke showed a lot of disrespect for Vinny Lecavalier by not fighting him during Tuesday's game at Pittsburgh. By now, you know the back story, but for those late to the party: Cook, as a member of the Capitals last season, threw the check that separated Vinny's right shoulder that required arthroscopic surgery. Lecavalier did not have the puck at he time and Cooke was fined $2,500 by the league.

Cooke, before the game, said the hit was an accident. In fact, he said, "If I was trying to hurt someone, I would have been a lot more aggressive."

Cooke and Lecavalier on Tuesday met for the first time since the incident, and Lecavalier went after him with 3:37 left in the first period. Cooke did not engage and Lecavalier got two minutes for roughing.

Smart move? Get the superstar off the ice for a few minutes? Perhaps. But the code of conduct required Cooke give Vinny a chance for payback.

Despite the rules that eliminated much of hockey's gratuitous violence, there is still an element of outlaw justice in the game. It is a pressure release and helps set boundaries as to what is and what is not acceptable on the ice. It also ensures there are consequences for one's actions.

You play as an agitator? Better be prepared to defend what you do?

One player hurts another. Who knows if it was accidental or intentional? Either way, Cooke should have given Lecavalier the chance, and shown him some respect in the process, to defend his honor.

Happy Holiday, everybody. See you in the new year.