Don Cherry has long been one of the most controversial figures in professional hockey. Most Americans can't stand him, most Canadians love him, others seem to just tolerate him by default.
I will admit that besides hearing his comments about European players being sub-par in comparison to Canadian players based solely on the fact that "most of the guys that wear them [visors] are European and French guys," and bashing Sidney Crosby on numerous occasions, I never really knew much about the man they call "Grapes."
So, I decided to do some research on how this Santa Claus look-alike got to be one of the most recognizable faces in the sport of hockey.
I will say that I have never been, nor will ever be, a Don Cherry fan. But, through the course of my research, I have come to achieve a slightly higher level of respect for Cherry, not as an analyst, but at least as a human being.
Donald Stewart Cherry was born in Kingston, Ontario in 1934. Both of his grandfathers, and his father served in various branches of the Canadian Armed Forces.
Cherry had a particular talent on the ice that would lead him to stray from the ways of his ancestors, and engage in battles on a frozen surface of water rather than in the muddy swamps of the battlefield that his grandfather called home during World War I.
Cherry played junior hockey with the Barrie Flyers and the Windsor Spitfires in the Ontario Hockey Association. In 1953, Cherry won the Memorial Cup as a defenseman with Barrie. The following year Cherry dropped out of high school and signed a minor league contract with the AHL's Hershey Bears.
Cherry had a long career playing in the AHL, and played his lone NHL game for the Boston Bruins during the 1955 playoffs. According to Cherry, an off-season baseball injury prevented him from ever sustaining a spot on an NHL roster. In other words, he just couldn't cut it.
Cherry retired from hockey in 1970, and pursued a career as a Cadillac salesman and a construction worker before finally becoming the head coach of the AHL's Rochester Americans during the 1971-72 season.
Cherry remained with Rochester for three seasons, before landing a deal as the head coach of the Boston Bruins. Cherry arrived just in time to see the departure of Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito.
Cherry quickly became known as a fiery coach who encouraged physical play among his players. This system worked, as the Bruins advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals in consecutive seasons, only to lose to the Habs both times.
Cherry won the Jack Adams award as the league's best coach during the 1976 season.
Three years later, Cherry was fired by the B's as a result of a crucial "coaching mistake." The Bruins were ahead by a goal during Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Montreal Canadiens. With less than two minutes remaining in the game, the Bruins were penalized for too many men on the ice. Guy Lafleur scored the tying goal on the ensuing power play, and the game winner in overtime. The Habs went on to win their fourth straight Stanley Cup, while Cherry went on to become the manager of the Colorado Rockies the following year.
Cherry ended his coaching career on a positive note, as the Rockies defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-0, in what would be their last game as a franchise.
After the Rockies failed to make the playoffs following the 1979-80 season, Cherry was hired as a studio analyst for CBC's playoff coverage. CBC hired him full-time the following season as a color commentator, but his tendency to open cheer for one team on the air quickly removed him from the booth.
CBC created Coach's Corner the following season, a segment which aired during the first intermission of Hockey Night in Canada and featured the flamboyant Cherry. Coach's Corner offered Cherry the opportunity to basically say whatever he wanted to say, about anything he wanted to talk about. Whether it was politics, his favorite players, his distaste for European players, his disagreement with certain NHL rules, or his love of the Boston Bruins and Toronto Maple Leafs, Cherry quickly became Canada's most recognizable loud mouth.
Since early May of this year, Cherry has been employed by ESPN, working alongside Barry Melrose as a hockey analyst. Cherry has volunteered to donate all of his earnings from ESPN to the Humane Society.
Cherry owns his own chain of sports bars in Canada, is the founder of a home for children with cancer, was named one of Canada's top ten "great Canadians", is an honorary member of the Police Association of Ontario, and was awarded the Canadian Forces Medallion for Distinguished Service for his "longstanding and unswerving support of Canadians in uniform" in February of this year.
So there you have it. Love him or hate him, Don Cherry is undoubtedly one of the most influential members of the Canadian (and possibly soon American) media. He has been around the game his entire life, and whether or not he ever has anything legitimate to say, you can count on one thing; he will always have something to say.
In conclusion, I guess you can say that Cherry's big mouth is indeed a big deal.
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2 months ago
Don Cherry is annoying, but hes a face of hockey...so oh well.
2 months ago
Never liked him and never will....what's with those pimpy outfits, anyway?
A schmuck on wheels
2 months ago
Good read Eric
I admire everything he does for charity etc but that does not give him free reign to mouth off about nationality, or whatever bug he's got up his rear etc.. especially on a publicly owned network. I also think his days are done much like Bob Cole on CBC....they need to hang around the senior center and tell their long winded stories to people who are killing time between Euchre games.
P.S. I don't remember Guy Lafleur ever coaching the Canadiens
2 months ago
Listen kids. He's a good Kingston boy and he knows his hockey!
p.s. Great article by the way :)
2 months ago
Because I don't get versus I've been looking for streams online the only one I've gotten is CBC, so I get to see Cherry and his ridiculous suits.
I really have no opinion as him as an analyst, I don't know enough to really care. But those suits are a mockery. There is being flashy, and then there is being Don Cherry. It really is unnecessary, but of course, it is his way of saying "Hey Look at Me."
2 months ago
The man won coach of the year, he can wear what he wants, no matter how much my HD TV hates it!
- Ron McLean
2 months ago
Cherry knows his hockey but sometimes can just shoot his mouth off. Growing up watching him was the highlight of the week. Sometimes he goes too far.
2 months ago
great article, like the facts not jsut an opinion about him, cant say i dont blame u on not likin his big mouth but some of the stuff he says makes sense
2 months ago
Tony... got my Guy's mixed up, was thnking of Carbonneau instead of Lafleur. But how many Guy's do you know? Carbonneau, Lafleur, and the kid on the Mighty Ducks. Thanks for the catch tho.
2 months ago
Knowledgable guy, but tends to be a bit biased towards Canadien players. Gotta love the suits.
2 months ago
Once again, love him or hate him, he adds some flair to the sport. He promotes the game religiously and doesn't dole out the mamby-pamby answers that so many NHLers do.
He's a good guy in his private life, he says what he thinks, and he sticks up for the things he believes in. Same way Barkley, Roenick and Hull do when they're doing commentary. The NHL needs the personality.
I don't always agree with him either, but the guy is entertaining.
2 months ago
Canadians voted him on as one of the ten greatest Canadians right up there with the father of the country and the guy who invented insulin. I'd say that they know their country and picked wisely and well.
Cherry is an original. The suits, the comments, the whole way of life. That's what color commentators do....add color to the broadcast. I'd rather listen to Don Cherry than just about any of the mealy-mouthed, whored out suits (Brooks Brothers, that is) out there. I'd like to see Coach's Corner on Versus. There would be a shit-storm of hate mail, but the majority would love it. What's more everyone would watch it, much as the public watched Howard Cosell. We need more characters in this world
2 months ago
He basically is the John Madden of the NHL, I have always told my hockey friends that I never liked Cherry all that much, he is too loud and too bias, I think ESPN told him he would have to tone it down a bit if he wanted to do some analyst stuff on SportsCenter that they have been doing with him recently. He does know hockey though I'll admit that, possibly more then anybody else in the world I dont know. Great article though
2 months ago
"Don Cherry is undoubtedly one of the most influential members of the Canadian (and possibly soon American) media"
There is not a chance in Hades that a hockey commentator will have any more than minimal influence in the American media. Nothing against Cherry, but hockey really just doesn't matter down here.
The shocking thing here to me is that he was named one of the ten greatest Canadians (by whom, I wonder?). That is either really cool or incredibly sad, I'm not sure which. Then, again, maybe Americans place Red Barber somewhere between Abe Lincoln and Thomas Edison.
The suits are just harmless fun.
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