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Flyers center Vincent Lecavalier (40) suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in 2007-08 due to a hit by Matt Cooke that he thinks was a cheap shot.

(Eric Hartline/USA TODAY Sports)

PHILADELPHIA – Flyers center Vincent Lecavalier didn't need to get a first look at a knee-on-knee hit in a Western Conference playoff game Monday.

The next morning, he'd heard enough to pass judgment.

The hit was delivered by Minnesota Wild left wing Matt Cooke … it looked like it could have been avoided … and Colorado Avalanche defenseman Tyson Barrie suffered a sprained left MCL that will sideline him for 4-to-6 weeks.

“He’s done it his whole career, so I’m not surprised,” Lecavalier told NJ.com after the Flyers’ morning skate Tuesday.

Of course not.

Cooke already has been suspended four times for illegal hits, and that doesn’t include another arguably dirty one that he made six years ago on Lecavalier that resulted in season-ending shoulder surgery.

“He’s had a lot of incidents in his career,” Lecavalier said, referring to Cooke. “I don’t know what he was thinking (Monday) when he does things like that. I don’t know what he’s going to say about that to defend himself.

“I know when I come head-to-head with somebody and he tries to go wide on me, I don’t stick out my knee. I don’t know. I’m not in his head. I didn’t see the hit, so I can’t even comment on it. But I just know that if, not necessarily him, but if anybody does that you've got to think before you do something like that. It’s 4-to-6 weeks (out for Barrie) and you can hurt somebody’s career.”

Lecavalier, who has one assist so far in a first round playoff series against the Rangers that is tied 1-1 heading into Tuesday night's Game 3, hasn't been the same since he was injured by Cooke on April 3, 2008.

Playing for Tampa Bay against Washington, Lecavalier was skating without the puck and clocked with a hit he believes was a cheap shot by Cooke.

There was just one game to go in the Lightning’s season and they didn’t make the playoffs, but Lecavalier spent the entire offseason recovering from his shoulder surgery.

Maybe or maybe not this is related, but ever since his goals per season are way down. From 2002-03 to 2007-08, Lecavalier averaged 38.4 goals. Since returning from his injury, his goals per season are down to 21.7 from 2008-09 through 2013-14.

“Listen, I don’t want to comment on it,” said Lecavalier, who had 20 goals and 37 points in 69 games this season, his first as a Flyer. “It was a long time ago and I said what I said a long time ago and obviously I didn’t think it was a clean hit. I didn’t have the puck.”

In a 2010 interview, Lecavalier was more candid.

“I just know that a player like Matt Cooke knew exactly what he was doing, coming in with his shoulder,” he told NHL.com. “He had plenty of time to move out of the way, but that’s the type of player he is. Matt Cooke is a dirty player. He’s been doing it his whole career, he’s done it this year and I’m not even surprised he’d make a hit like that.”

Cooke was suspended twice in 2008-09, twice more in 2010-11 and he escaped with a fine in 2009-10 for a head shot on Boston Bruins star center Marc Savard that resulted in a concussion that ended his career following 66 more games over two seasons.

While playing for Pittsburgh, Cooke vowed to clean up his game after his 2009-10 season ended with a suspension for the final 10 games plus the playoffs for an elbow to the head of Rangers defenseman Ryan McDonagh.

Until Tuesday, Cooke didn’t cross the line for three seasons. But now he’s back in trouble and Lecavalier expects the NHL to come down hard.

“Well, the league’s gotta … Well, like I said, I haven’t seen that hit, so I can’t comment on that one,” Lecavalier said. “But I just know that if it is what people say it is, then I know the league is going to step in and do the right thing.”