The Coaches Don Cherry

Donald Stewart Cherry

Don Cherry (born February 5, 1934) is a Canadian Ice Hockey commentator. He is also a sports writer and retired professional hockey player and former coach of both the Boston Bruins and Colorado Rockies.

After many years of toiling in the American Hockey League, Cherry got his only chance to play NHL hockey with the Boston Bruins during the 1955 NHL playoffs. Cherry and his Bruins were eliminated in five games by the Montreal Canadians; the Canadians were then eliminated in the Stanley Cup Final 4-3 by the Detroit Red Wings.

Before becoming head coach of the Boston Bruins, Don Cherry was a struggling Cadillac salesman and construction worker. He also worked as a house painter earning $2 per hour. At this time in Don’s life, his playing days were over.

Halfway through the 1971-1972 season, Cherry became head coach of the American Hockey League’s Rochester Americans and won “Coach of the Year.” The following year, he was named the General Manager. In his third year, Cherry was voted as the AHL’s “Coach of the Year.”

After three season’s in Rochester, Cherry was named head coach of the Boston Bruins. Boston had won two Stanley Cup’s in the past three years.

Upon his arrival, Cherry began to build a team with the same tenacious attributes he admired in his feisty bull terrier dog, Blue. Cherry quickly transformed the Bruins from a team that relied on the superstar talents of Bobby Orr and the high-scoring Phil Esposito into what became known as the “Lunch Pail Gang,” or the “Big Bad Bruins.” The Bruins become a perennial contender during the latter half of the 1970s, winning the division title four straight seasons from 1975-1976 through 1978-1979. Cherry won the Jack Adams Award as NHL coach of the year in 1976.

Despite several successful playoffs runs’s the Cherry lead Bruins were never able to overcome their arch-rivals, the Montreal Canadians, losing in the Stanley Cup final in 1977 and 1978. The Bruins and Cherry suffered their most heartbreaking defeat in the 1979 semi-finals against the Canadians. The Bruins took too many men on the ice penalty with under three minutes to play. The Canadians Guy Lafleur scored, tying the game and sending it into overtime. Yvon Lambert would score in the first overtime, winning the series for Montreal and crushing the Bruin’s hope of winning a Stanley Cup under Don Cherry. Montreal would later defeat the New York Rangers in five games, winning their 22nd Stanley Cup and their fourth in a row. Following the loss, Cherry was later fired by Bruins General Manager Harry Sinden.

The next season, 1979-1980, saw Cherry coaching the then Colorado Rockies, who would later become the New Jersey Devils. Cherry’s stay in Colorado was short-lived, as tension grew between Cherry and two players, Hardy Astrom, whom Cherry named “The Swedish Sieve,” and Mike McEwan, who Cherry grabbed him by the jersey to pull him off the ice when he ignored Cherry’s demand that he come off the ice. This and Cherry’s feuding with Rockies general manager Ray Miron leads to Cherry’s dismissal. Cherry would never coach in the NHL again.

Don Cherry is best known for his Coach’s Corner segment on CBC’s Hockey Night In Canada, which aired on Saturday- night after the first period, with co-host Ron MacLean. Cherry is known for his outspoken demeanor and strong opinions. He is also a “Sharp dressed man” due to his flamboyant attire. By the 2018-2019 season, Don and Ron had spent 33 years together, from 1984-2019, broadcasting games on the famous ” Coach’s Corner.”

On November 9, 2019, during Coach’s Corner, Cherry made inflammatory remarks about people not wearing poppies. He said, “You people that come here…you love our way of life, you love our milk and honey, at least you can pay a couple of bucks for a poppy…These guys paid for your way of life that you enjoy in Canada; these guys paid the highest price.”

On November 10th, MacLean issued an on-air apology. He said, “Don Cherry made remarks which were hurtful, discriminatory, which were flat out wrong. We at Sportsnet have apologized. It certainly doesn’t stand for what Sportsnet or Rogers represents. We know diversity is the strength of the country. We see it in travels with our show (Home town Hockey) and with Hockey Night in Canada. I owe you an apology, too: that’s the big thing I want to emphasize. I sat there, did not catch it, did not respond.

On November 11, 2019 (Remembrance Day), Don Cherry was fired by Sportsnet president Bart Yabsley. In later comments to the Toronto Sun, Cherry said, “I know what I said, and I meant it. Everybody in Canada should wear a poppy to honor our fallen soldiers…I would have liked to continue doing Coach’s Corner. The problem is if I have to watch everything I say, it isn’t Coach’s Corner”. He later said that if he had to do it again, he would have said “everybody.”

Following the firing of Don Cherry, viewership of Hockey Night in Canada has slumped considerably. When the season opened in October, the first Saturday night game between Toronto and Montreal drew an average of 1.247 million viewers. Cherry’s last broadcast on November 9 featuring Toronto and Philadelphia drew an average audience of 1.027 million; two weeks later, Hockey Night in Canada failed to make the Numeris Top 30 ranked TV shows. On December 13, Hockey Night in Canada drew an average audience of 810,000 compared to 983,000 from the same date a year earlier.

Don Cherry has many accomplishments over his many years in hockey and his personal life.

1. Rock Em Sock Em videos.
2. Grapevine podcast.
3. 7th Greatest Canadian (voted by Viewers) in 2004.
4. Grapeline with Brian Williams.
5. Keep your head up, Kid: The Don Cherry Story.
6. The Wrath of Grapes: The Don Cherry Story II.
7. Inducted into the American Hockey League Hall of Fame in 2019.
8. 4 time Calder Cup winner (AHL).
9. Lester Patrick Cup winner, WHL, with the Vancouver Canucks in 1969.
10. Don Cherry’s this week in Hockey.
11. November 14, 2005, honorary membership of the Police Association of Ontario.
12. 2007, Dominion Command Honorary Life Member of the Royal Canadian Legion.
13. 2008, Canadian Forces Medallion for Distinguished Service.
14. 2016 Received a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame.
15. 1985 opened Don Cherry’s Sports Grill restaurant.
16. Don Cherry Pet Rescue Foundation, all profits from his Simply Pets snacks line go to animal charities.

Love or hate Don Cherry, the choice is yours, but there is no denying that The Don has always been controversial and will always go out on his shield, as he is someone who stands’s up for what he believes in, no matter what the consequences. Often Imitated, but never duplicated.

Please comment below. Do you believe that Don’s comments were purposefully offensive and that he should have been fired?

Do You believe that Don should not have been fired, as he was only expressing the freedom of speech? That It’s disrespectful to our veteran’s not to wear a poppy, and that he did not blatantly name any ethnic group or people.

Head coaching record

NHL

Coaching Record:

	Regular Season	Playoffs
Season	League	Team	G	W	L	T	OTL	Pts	Pts%	Win%		G	W	L	Win%
1974-75	NHL	Boston Bruins	80	40	26	14	0	134	.558	.588		3	1	2	.333
1975-76	NHL	Boston Bruins	80	48	15	17	0	161	.671	.706		12	5	7	.417
1976-77	NHL	Boston Bruins	80	49	23	8	0	155	.646	.663		14	8	6	.571
1977-78	NHL	Boston Bruins	80	51	18	11	0	164	.683	.706		15	10	5	.667
1978-79	NHL	Boston Bruins	80	43	23	14	0	143	.596	.625		11	7	4	.636
1979-80	NHL	Colorado Rockies	80	19	48	13	0	70	.292	.319
Totals			480	250	153	77	0	827	.574	.601		55	31	24	.564

The Coach’s John Tortorella (Columbus Blue Jackets)

Please, like, share, and subscribe. Thank you.

The Best Place to Buy same day essay Can Be Found Here