I think Cookie took a dumb penalty yesterday, but it could have been a hell of a lot worse - he didn't ride McDonagh into the boards or hit him when he was down. Even McDonagh gave him the benefit of the doubt.
I think it was more stupidity than maliciousness. There have been plenty of hits recently that were more severe and were punished much more lightly (or not at all) than this will be.
The league will suspend him just because he's Matt Cooke, and I think Bylsma should bench him accordingly - because his actions hurt the team. They stand to lose one of their best PK guys, and defensive forwards, but it needs to be done. I think Bylsma benching Cooke will send more of a message than whatever comes up on the NHL's wheel of punishment.
They need to keep fighting and hitting in hockey - it adds to the excitement of the game. I'd get bored watching all-star style games.