Why Does Don Cherry Get So Much Love?

Broadcaster's Outdated Opinions Just as Loud as His Coats

Okay, I will admit it. I do not understand, nor can I fathom the love this guy receives from North American hockey fans. I can see this article maybe getting some rather nasty responses, but that is OK. That is what is great about B/R. I will list just some of the hypocritical nonsense that is Don Cherry.

He is supposedly a man who loves hockey and wants the sport to grow, right?

Personally, I don't see it. I see him having a lot of love for his home country and its native players, but that's where it normally ends. The Canadian Cherry is no real fan of the European players for the most part and never misses an opportunity to blast one on air.

I am going to go off recent garbage I have seen from him to make a few points.

Earlier this season, San Jose's Mike Grier (not Canadian) boarded an opposing player. Cherry went on and on during the next week's edition of Hockey Night in Canada about how that was the dirtiest hit he had ever seen. I guess he must have been sleeping through some hits by Steve Downie, Todd Bertuzzi, a base ball bat swing by Chris Simon, etc.

Was Grier's hit dirty? Sure it was. Was it noteworthy? Sure it was. Was it the worst hit ever? Not even this year.

Last week's episode of HNIC was the last straw for me. Tampa Bay's Evgeny Artyukhin got into a scrap with Florida's Nick Tarnasky. Cherry went into a frenzy over the fact that the Russian-born Artyukhin was fighting with a visor on, and how stupid he looked. Really, Don?

Personally I think anyone who fights with a visor on is a moron. I don't care where they are from. I can think of many players from the US and Canada that fight that way. Hey Don, how about bashing some of those idiots?

Though, I do applaud Cherry's effort to make people aware of soldiers and their efforts, there are far too many things about the man that, to me and others, make this guy bad for hockey.

He needs to accept every player for who they are, not where they come from. That is a giant sticking point for him. He is quick to criticize European players and their issues off the ice. But I have yet to hear him be similarly critical of his own countrymen on the same regular basis.

The holier-than-thou approach he brings to the broadcast booth needs to be lost. The game has developed into something very different from the game he played and coached. He has good points at times, no-touch icing being one which I totally agree with. But his thoughtful insights soon become overshadowed by his ignorance and jingoistic attitude toward non-Canadian players.

Most hockey fans could care less where a player is from. Do we feel better when a local player is doing great? Sure. It's a feel good story. But I think it is very fair to say that most of us normal fans just want to see good hockey. Where players are born should mean little as long as they play good hockey.

This is only my take on things. I enjoy going to games and sharing thoughts with fans from different countries, and hearing their ideas that are not so biased. It is the year 2009. It is time to move on from this "good vs. evil," "us vs. them." Hockey is great, no matter where you're from. Unless you're Don Cherry.

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