Cherry Pie
Hockey Night in Canada should fire Don Cherry. The man is a complete fraud.
Don Cherry is a former NHL coach. I emphasize the word “former”. After short tours with the Boston Bruins and Colorado Flames, nobody wanted him anymore. He was offered a post on Hockey Night in Canada. He’s been there ever since, telling everyone else how to run their hockey teams.
His one virtue is he speaks his mind without thinking-- if you can call that a virtue. It is entertainment, but I wouldn’t call it a virtue.
Cherry lambastes coaches, referees, and players-- especially European or Russian players--during the intermissions of hockey games. You get the impression that if only Don Cherry were in charge of the Leafs or the Flyers or the Canadiens, the Stanley Cup would be a sure thing.
But wait a minute! Don Cherry is in charge. Don Cherry owns an Ontario Junior “A” hockey team called the Mississauga Ice Dogs. Wow. This team must be doing really great, right?
The Mississauga Ice Dogs are currently on pace to set
a record all right. It has
about 8 wins. It is about to
set a record for the fewest points ever for a Junior “A” franchise. The Ice Dogs have one of the top positions in next
year’s OHL Junior “A” draft sown up.
But the most talented eligible players don’t want to play for Don
Cherry’s team.
One of the biggest problems with the team is that many of the employees are members of Don Cherry’s family. Another problem is that Don Cherry hires a coach, puts him in charge of the team’s performance, and then second-guesses all of his decisions.
And, of course, Cherry doesn’t want any Russian or European players on his team.
The result of these policies is that the Ice Dogs are the worst team in junior hockey. Cherry should admit he doesn’t know anything about hockey. He just mouths off at every opportunity.
It’s time for Hockey Night in Canada to bring in an expert analyst instead.
Copyright © 2000 Bill Van Dyk All rights reserved.
