I wonder if Matt Cooke slept well last night.

I'm sure Marc Savard didn't.

When Cooke steps on the ice at TD Garden Thursday night, he instantly will take his place next to fellas such as Bill Laimbeer, Rick Mahorn and Ulf Samuelsson. In other words, an A-List public enemy for the Boston faithful.

The March 7, third-period blindside hit that Cooke delivered to the head of Savard gave the All-Star a Grade 2 concussion that likely will mean the end of the pivot's season. 

That hit -- and the subsequent non-suspension for the controversial Cooke -- triggered a series of reaction from all over the hockey world. 

"It's pretty obvious that was definitely a dirty hit," Bruins coach Claude Julien said. "That's the classic blindside hit to the head."

"For him not to have a suspension is beyond me," Don Cherry said in the middle of an epic outburst against the "gutless" Cooke during an airing of "Hockey Night in Canada." The former Bruins coach then showed some clips of Cooke's knee-to-knee hits and blows to the head, a montage that ran slightly longer than "Apocalypse Now Redux."

"If a guy gets a hurt like that with a shot to the head, there's got to be something [in terms of a suspension]," said Cooke's own teammate, 18-year veteran Bill Guerin. "We're all under the same umbrella, whether the guy's on my team or if he's playing in California. I understand [Cooke] is on my team, but, hey, it's a tough spot."

A known headhunter with a history of suspensions and cheap shots in his career takes out the most talented offensive player on the Bruins with just under six minutes left in the game. Leaves him motionless on the ice and in need of a stretcher. So how long do you think it took for one of Savard's teammates to exact a little revenge? Thirty seconds? Two minutes? In the hallway after the game? 

Uh, not so much. 

“Any time you see something like that, it’s frustrating,’’ Julien said. “You’re thinking revenge. First and foremost, you want to get back at this guy. But at the same time, you’ve got to win a hockey game here. So yeah, I had to keep my team under control and make them realize we had to win a hockey game.’’

File that under: Things never said by Reg Dunlop.

That decision by Julien and his players -- to try to win an important game instead of attempting to injure an opponent -- has been met by criticism from the old-school NHL crowd, including former Bruins coach and GM Mike Milbury.

“Your best offensive player goes down with a resounding check — borderline check under any circumstances, maybe cheap, maybe intentional. It requires a direct response immediately,” said Milbury on the Dale & Holley show, adding, “I blame the players who were on the ice at that time."

You've been briefed. That's where we are heading into Thursday night. Not a person involved in the situation is happy with how things have gone. Not a single winner here. The only question left is: What happens when the puck is dropped? There are three possibilities, as I see it.

1. The Bruins retaliate during Cooke's first shift

I would have listed this as the favorite a couple of days ago. Get it out of the way, let the fans blow off some steam, and then get down to the business of trying to net a couple of points in a key game for the Bruins as they try to stay above water in the playoff hunt. 

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But the news that chief NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell will be in attendance for the contest might change the way the Bruins act, at least early in the game. I wouldn't be surprised to see a surprisingly clean opening period.

It might also be worth asking if retaliation has any actual value. I'm serious about this. What, exactly, will it do for the Bruins if someone lays out Cooke? Will it make the team better? Will it help stop Marc Savard's headaches? Can someone give me an example in Boston sports history where an act of retaliation led to something positive? There is a part of me that hopes that the Bruins do nothing to Cooke, keep their heads high and beat the Penguins 6-2 by playing a clean (and make no mistake, that can mean physical) game of hockey. In a lot of ways, wouldn't that mean more than Shawn Thornton knocking Cooke down in some fight? And won't a fight seem almost staged anyway? The real time for retaliation was the night Savard was actually hurt. That's when temperatures were highest. Maybe, just once, take the high road and play the sort of hockey that everyone raved about for two weeks during the Olympics. 

Wow. That was the closest I've ever come to writing my own "One to Grow On."

2. The Bruins go after Sidney Crosby

I've read and heard a lot about this one over the last 24 hours. Callers to WEEI were practically begging for the Bruins to take a cheap shot at the Canadian Olympic hero. Makes no sense to me. How would you have felt in 2004 if a team took a dive at Tom Brady's knee for something that Rodney Harrison had done? Can't blame a guy just because he happens to wear the same uniform. Plus this: If Sidney Crosby isn't the best player in the NHL, he's second only to Ovechkin. It's not his fault that Matt Cooke is 80 percent punk. Unlike the NFL, which can thrive without Brady, or MLB, which could live with an Albert Pujols for a year, the NHL needs Sidney Crosby. Leave him alone. This is about Matt Cooke. It wasn't Sidney Crosby who blindsided Savard. And while Sid the Kid has been known to throw a punch or two, he has never been suspended. Again, it is not the fault of Sidney Crosby that Matt Cooke is allowed to do what he does. Blame Colin Campbell. 

Speaking of Campbell ...

3. The Bruins follow Campbell's letter of the law and STILL get revenge

Think about it. According to Campbell, Cooke was not suspended because no action was taken against Flyers forward Mike Richards for a similar hit earlier in the season. Well, perfect. Sounds like an invitation for any Bruins player to get head-hunting on Mr. Cooke, no? How can Campbell, who has strived to maintain consistency even if it leads to incredibly stupid decisions, suspend a Boston player for doing to Cooke what Cooke did to Savard? 

Here's hoping Gary Bettman (no genius he) puts Campbell on a bus the day after the season ends. If Campbell had done the right (and obvious) thing and suspended Cooke, say, 10 games, there would be no story. Now all he has done is enable whatever is going to happen at TD Garden on Thursday night. 

So be ready for a circus. Anything is in play. It will be entertaining, and the game will feel have an Eastern Confernce final level of intensity. And the fans will have a good time. There's always something satisfying about having a legitimate villain to do battle against.

And (most importantly for the NHL) the game is a cinch to do a nice number for NESN, and that will make Bettman feel good on Friday morning as he eats his Apple Jacks. 

So maybe there will be winners after all in this debacle.

Wonder how Marc Savard would feel about that?