TORONTO—An unlikely face is emerging at the forefront of what appears to be a changing culture among NHL players: Matt Cooke.

Widely known as the league’s biggest cheap shot artist as recently as last season, the Pittsburgh Penguins forward has quietly reinvented himself and accumulated just four penalty minutes in 18 games this year.

Truth be told, Cooke had little choice. The veteran forward was suspended for the final 10 games of last season and entire first round of the playoffs after delivering a hit to the head of Rangers defenceman Ryan McDonagh. It was his fifth career suspension, all for illegal hits.

The NHL vowed to crack down even more on those infractions this season as part of a bid to improve player safety — new disciplinarian Brendan Shanahan heads a department which carries that name — but who would have imagined Cooke could ever be presented as Exhibit A in arguing its effectiveness?

Less than two months into the season, Penguins general manager Ray Shero is willing to do exactly that.

“For Brendan Shanahan and player safety, here’s a guy that they can show on some highlights and the videos, where he’s not taking the hit or he is pulling up (in dangerous situations),” said Shero. “He’s still got a ways to go. But in the first portion of the season here and exhibition as well, he has changed the way he’s played and he’s still a really good effective player for us in his role.

“That’s good news for us and it’s good news for Brendan Shanahan in terms of what he’s trying to do.”

Shanahan emerged from Tuesday’s GMs meeting in Toronto feeling optimistic about the direction of the league. He’s been a busy man — handing out his 15 suspension of the season to Blues forward Chris Stewart Wednesday — but reported that concussions were down by more than half over last year.

More than anything, he attributed that improvement to the men who play the game.

“We know we’re not going to get rid of all concussions,” said Shanahan. “I take each and every one of them personally now, but the numbers and the strides that the players have made and the efforts that they’ve made so far have been really commendable.”

Cooke went through a long period of self-reflection following the McDonagh suspension in March and promised to clean up his act.

Since the Penguins had actively lobbied for the removal of head hits in the sport, many called for them to cut ties with a serial offender at that time. However, Shero felt some responsibility to Cooke after signing him as a free agent and watching him help Pittsburgh win the Stanley Cup in 2009.

The faith has been rewarded so far. Skating largely on the third line for the Eastern Conference-leading Penguins, Cooke has 10 points (5-5) and a plus-3 rating. He also logs a lot of time on the NHL’s best penalty kill.

“I like the player, I like the person and I think he has got something to add,” said Shero. “After the McDonagh incident he did a lot of self-examination with his family and what he wanted to be as a person and a father and a player.

“If he got this chance with us, he wanted to take advantage of it because he didn’t want to let down ownership and his team again.”

Shero likened Cooke’s evolution to that of Chicago Blackhawks forward Stan Mikita decades ago. He was among the roughest players in the league before setting about to change his image upon learning that his young daughter didn’t like his style of play.

Mikita went from 154 penalty minutes in 1965-66 to 58 in 1966-67 to 12 in 1967-68 and 14 in 1968-69. He was awarded the Lady Byng Trophy as the league’s most gentlemanly player the latter two years.

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Cooke could be trending in a similar direction.

“I think it’s been a good story so far in how you can come back,” said Shero. “Guys can change the way they play the game and hit. You go way back to Stan Mikita, he led the league in penalty minutes one year and the next year he won the Lady Byng.

“I’m not sure if Cookie’s winning the Lady Byng, but he’s worked at (changing his game) and he’s thought about it. I give him a lot of credit for that.”

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