Happy 80th Birthday to Don Cherry.
Some people call Don Cherry an old school thug, some lament that the game has passed him by, some consider him a dinosaur. I have a message for those people: you don’t know hockey and you’re embarrassing yourselves.
Don Cherry, who turns 80 on Wednesday, remains one of the most influential figures in hockey. He also remains one of the most thoughtful and intelligent. His critics would find that statement hilarious. They think of Don as some kind of moron who doesn’t have an education and is flamboyant, outspoken, brash and ignorant.
The only thing is, they don’t listen to him. They long ago wrote him off because of his rough edges, his willingness to go against popular opinion, the fact he does not give one single thought towards political correctness, because he champions the tough guy and he is (they say, wrongly) a xenophobe.
But they don’t listen. They tuned him out long ago because it’s easier to listen to people who are all the same: complacent, unobjectionable, status quo-loving, conservative (generally, as opposed to politically) and just like everyone else. People often don’t see the full character of someone and rather just appreciate the rough two-dimensional caricature. This is how it is with Don’s critics.
They don’t respect the fact that no one – absolutely no one – has done more for player safety in the modern era than Don has. They mock the way he mispronounces names and criticizes soft players, and those who show disrespect for the game. They think this makes him some kind of racist or xenophobe. If they listened they’d know better.
Don doesn’t hate European players. I can’t pronounce anyone’s name either. If you bothered to listen to him over the years, Don only hates soft players and chaep-shot artists, it doesn’t matter where they come from. Don will even call out his favorite players. Ask P.K Subban. That’s because Don has integrity. He never shies away from controversy and he is very ever, if rarely wrong.
But back to player safety, which I think should be Don Cherry’s legacy. People love to say he’s a “neanderthal… because he likes the rough stuff, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Don Cherry is the most progressive player safety advocate that there is in the NHL.
He loves fighting and hard hitting hockey, but, as I said, he hates dirty players and cheap shots. He has been saying since I was a kid that the NHL needed no-touch icing. The NHL went hybrid and will eventually go no-touch because – like Don says – one exciting play every three games is not worth anyone’s career. He has long championed moving away from the insanely hard plastic equipment (see elbow pads that look like medieval gauntlets) that is probably responsible for more injuries than anything else.
He has showcased tons of equipment over the years – whether its Kevlar socks or new ideas to maybe prevent concussions – that would prevent injury. He championed the stop sign on the back of jerseys for kids to prevent hitting from behind in leagues for kids.
He said – I think at or close to the dawn of “the New NHL" – that that their ideas to eliminate interference were idiotic and would lead to an increase in injuries because defenseman who stand still would be crushed by top speed forwards who can’t be held up. This turned out to be true. Do you think it’s an accident that the NHL just kind of stopped talking about this stuff and that interference has been creeping back into the game, seemingly unmentioned? Of course it isn’t. Don was right. As usual.
People don’t just think fighting is bad – they abhor it and won’t even consider how it can be beneficial. The critics can’t reconcile how two grown men punching each other in the face with their bare hands could prevent more violence. They let the fighting agenda blind them to the fact Don Cherry actually advocates clean, less violent hockey. Nobody can be informed and argue that Don is not a safety guru.
He also kisses men. Dresses flamboyantly and looks out for the poor, the sick, the wounded or the little guy. He just in no way deserves his reputation as some kind of outdated octogenarian who only likes Canadian kids. The guy is the Jesus of hockey. He helps everyone and is deaf to his critics. He speaks his mind and has integrity.
With Don turning 80 this week, we should celebrate one of the best people hockey has ever known. And if you’re American and don’t regularly get to see Coaches Corner, I suggest you watch some Donald S. Cherry on Youtube and see what all the fuss is about. I watch over ten games every week and Don is the best intermission entertainment by a margin that is nearly unbelievable. Colton Orr is closer to Sydney Crosby than the next best intermission entertainment is to Don.
We should also maybe start listening to Don’s advice. Bring in no-touch icing and eliminate the instigator rule. He coached and played hockey his entire life, and if he says that stick-work, hits from behind and other dirty plays can be removed from hockey by getting rid of the instigator rule and alloying the players to police themselves maybe we should believe him – he’s been right about everything else.
In closing, I am not ashamed to say that Don Cherry is, besides my father and possibly Neil Young, my personal hero and has been since I was eight years old. He taught me that it’s more important to have integrity than just about anything else and that you need to speak your mind, even if it goes against popular opinion – maybe especially if it does.
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Tonight the Penguins visit the Coyotes for one of the must-see games of the NHL Season, at least for ‘Yotes fans.
The Penguins rarely come to town and this is an opportunity for Coyotes fans to see the best player in the NHL up close. Did I mention you also get to see Malkin, Neal, Kunitz and Letang? The Penguins are like a traveling all-star team. Win or lose (let’s be realistic, but anything can happen) this is going to be a great game.
Mike Smith will be back in net tonight. Vermette will try to continue his insane hot streak and Oliver Ekman-Larsson will continue to show why he deserves the Norris Trophy. The Coyotes, as a team, will try to recover from a disappointing loss to the Sabres Thursday night. If leadership is all it’s made out to be, look Phoenix to have a great game, as Captain Shane Doan was not impressed with the result of that game.
As always, Thanks For Reading.
Check out some tweets. @Coyotes1234