Former Pittsburgh Penguins forward Matt Cooke has been hired as coach of the ECHL’s Newfoundland Growlers.
That team announced the hiring via release on Saturday.
A 14-year veteran who spent five seasons with the Penguins and was a member of the franchise’s Stanley Cup championship in 2009, Cooke spent the past two seasons coaching at the high school level in Minnesota with Chaska, located in the suburbs of the Twin Cities.
In an interview with the Tribune-Review last year, Cooke indicated he held designs on eventually coaching at the professional level.
“A lot of it is timing, a lot of it is knowing and a lot of it is people knowing that I’m looking,” Cooke said. “It will all happen. I’m not here to force the issue. But all in the right time.”
Cooke, 45, is the fourth coach Growlers history. Based in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Growlers are an affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
