Don Cherry

Don Cherry

Donald Stewart "Grapes" Cherry (born February 5, 1934, in Kingston, Ontario, Canada) is a former NHL and AHL hockey player and a former NHL coach. He is known for his opinionated commentating style, flamboyant wardrobe and candid patriotism. He was the featured commentator on Coach's Corner, the hockey analysis and discussion segment broadcast during the first intermission of CBC's Hockey Night in Canada, from 1986 until being fired in 2019.

Quotes

• The thing that makes me laugh about this whole thing, is our Fair Play Commission and our Penalty Commission they never...that’s violence, everybody asks me about getting violent. That’s violence, that’s career-ending. That should be put out of...but don’t worry about it. His [Samuelsson’s] day is coming. But the people I feel sorry for with Ulf Samuelsson are the referees. Last week, we’re not going to show it, [Mike] Gartner gave him a little tap, he falls down, he lets on he’s hurt, he gets a five-minute major and he plays the power play. I know for a fact, not then, that when he suckers in the referees, when he suckers them in, he goes to the bench – he goes to the bench and he winks and he laughs. Big deal! Listen, I’m so glad that he signed a three-year contract in the National Hockey League. His day is coming folks! Don't worry about it. It’s just a matter of time, and I want to know who’s going to be the hero.
  • On the February 8, 1992, edition of Coach's Corner

• Cherry: You know, I’ve been home now for 24 hours. I must’ve been asked 9,000 times about that incident, we don’t have it [the footage], but I want to talk about it. Figure it out: Here’s a guy who gets eight stitches, eight stitches in his chin. What happened? Who did it? Nobody knows, ok? Nobody knows, ok, so here’s what happens. The referee calls the guy over and he says ‘Did you see what happened?’, ‘Whoaa, not my side’ ‘Did you see what happened?’ ‘Well wait a minute if I tell you, that means five-minute major.’ If the linesman says five-minute major...

• Ron MacLean: No, no, it could be a four-minute penalty...

• Cherry:...Yeah he’s gone anyhow, going into overtime. Gretzky, verge of elimination. So, what do we do? They say ‘What do we do? How about he [Doug Gilmour] gets hit with the puck? He gets hit with the puck, he’s laying on the [sic]'. The only way he’d get hit with the puck is if his chin was on the ice. Anyway, that’s all I’ve got to say about that. [Gretzky] gets the overtime winner and that’s wrong as far as I’m concerned. Andreychuk got a five-minute major, he [Gretzky] should’ve got something. At least a slap on the wrist or a dirty look.
  • On the May 29, 1993 edition of Coach's Corner discussing the alleged non-call by referee Kerry Fraser of a high-stick by Los Angeles Kings captain Wayne Gretzky on Toronto Maple Leafs forward Doug Gilmour in overtime of Game 6 of the 1993 Campbell Conference Final.

• Jimmy Waite thinks this is offside. WRONG Jimmy! 1-0!
  • In the "Goalie Gaffs" segment of the Rock'Em Sock'Em Five hockey highlights video.

• My buddy Tie [Domi] gets zonked by [Scott] Stevens! [Shawn] Antoski catches [David] Shaw. [Mathieu] Schneider flips [Troy] Mallette! Sergei Bautin lays a pretty one on [Darren] McCarty! [Eric] Weinrich jolts [Mike] Sillinger!
  • In the "Hip Checks" segment of the Rock'Em Sock'Em Six hockey highlights video.

• [Garry] Galley crunches [Kelly] Buchberger, and Buchberger's not too happy!
  • In the "Hip Checks" segment of the Rock'Em Sock'Em Six hockey highlights video.

• Here’s a different way to score on a two-on-one: Boston’s [Cam] Stewart shoots the puck, and [Steve] Heinze puts home the rebound! Shorthanded too!
  • In the "2 on 1" segment of the Rock'Em Sock'Em Six hockey highlights video.

• [Bob] Beers crashes [Ron] Hextall. Ron's a little upset, and Beers is lucky it didn't happen a few years ago!
  • In the "Crease Crashers" segment of the Rock'Em Sock'Em Six hockey highlights video.

• Andrei Kovalenko runs over Patrick Roy, and Patrick slugs him! Watch him use his blocker here. Don’t fool with Patrick!
  • In the "Crease Crashers" segment of the Rock'Em Sock'Em Six hockey highlights video.

• Watch John Blue give Rob Pearson a cross-check like you can’t believe. Watch this. He gets up, Pearson goes back, WHAM! Well what can you expect from a guy named Blue?
  • In the "Crease Crashers" segment of the Rock'Em Sock'Em Six hockey highlights video.

• You won’t believe this one, folks. Belfour tries to clear the puck in overtime. Nelson Emerson grabs the puck, now watch: he’s skating out in front, he’s got the puck in his hand, Eddie tries to stop him, he reaches around and throws it in the net and, believe it or not, they count it! The Hawks say what are you counting that? [Darryl] Sutter’s not too happy. With video replay, how can they count a goal like that?
  • In the "Bloopers" segment of the Rock'Em Sock'Em Six hockey highlights video.
• Cam Neely! Is he a beauty? Fifty goals in 49 games.
  • In the "Slapshots" segment of the Rock'Em Sock'Em Six hockey highlights video.
• With the series at 2-1, [Jeremy] Roenick wins Game 4 in OT, and now it goes back to Toronto for a best of two out of three! Is he happy or what?
  • In the "Leafs-Hawks" segment (profiling the 1994 Western Conference Quarterfinal Series between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Chicago Blackhawks) of the Rock'Em Sock'Em Six hockey highlights video.
• Captain Crunch [Wendel Clark] nails Chelios, and the Hawks are gone in six! Are they gonna miss Wendel or what? What a hit.
  • In the "Leafs-Hawks" segment (profiling the 1994 Western Conference Quarterfinal Series between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Chicago Blackhawks) of the Rock'Em Sock'Em Six hockey highlights video.
• The Flames and Canucks, this one was the toughest series of all folks. No prisoners were taken in this one. Whoa! Are they hittin’? And they’re hittin’ to hurt, I’ll tell ya. Watch these beauty hits. You better keep your head up in this series I’ll tell ya!
  • In the "Flames-Canucks" segment (profiling the 1994 Western Conference Quarterfinal Series between the Calgary Flames and the Vancouver Canucks) of the Rock'Em Sock'Em Six hockey highlights video.
• Now the Canucks are down three games to one and come storming back. [Geoff] Courtnall gets the winner in Game 5 as he hammers a rocket in OT. Mikey [Vernon] never had a chance. Are they happy or what? Watch this!
  • In the "Flames-Canucks" segment (profiling the 1994 Western Conference Quarterfinal Series between the Calgary Flames and the Vancouver Canucks) of the Rock'Em Sock'Em Six hockey highlights video.
• Still overtime folks. Watch this beauty pass by [Jeff] Brown: right on the money to [Pavel] Bure and he slides it home by [Mike] Vernon! Can you believe it? Down three to one and come back to win? Pat [Quinn] never gave up on them I'll tell ya. What a win.
  • In the "Flames-Canucks" segment (profiling the 1994 Western Conference Quarterfinal Series between the Calgary Flames and the Vancouver Canucks) of the Rock'Em Sock'Em Six hockey highlights video.
• But everybody knows the Bruins don't quit, and they go on to win this series in seven games. Watch Raymond [Bourque] smoke this one by Patrick [Roy]!
  • In the "Habs-Bruins" segment (profiling the 1994 Eastern Conference Quarterfinal Series between the Boston Bruins and the Montreal Canadiens) of the Rock'Em Sock'Em Six hockey highlights video.
• You can call it a cheap shot, blind shot, a late hit; you can call it what you want and it should’ve been a suspension as far as I’m concerned! It’s unbelievable that it’s not a suspension! What it did, it gave meat to everybody that’s against the National Hockey League—this’ll be the poster boy…[while showing clips of controversial hits by Cooke over the years]!! You think he’d do this stuff against [Wayne] Gretzky, if [Dave] Semenko was there?! Do you think he’d do this against [Steve] Yzerman if [Bob] Probert was there?! NO! That’s what I’m trying to tell you, he wouldn’t do that stuff!
  • On the March 13, 2010 edition of Coach's Corner discussing Pittsburgh Penguins left winger Matt Cooke's blindside hit on Boston Bruins forward Marc Savard on March 7, 2010.
• You people that come here... you love our way of life, you love our milk and honey, at least you can pay a couple bucks for a poppy or something like that... These guys paid for your way of life that you enjoy in Canada, these guys paid the biggest price.
  • On the November 9, 2019 edition of Coach's Corner, suggesting that immigrants to Canada benefit from the sacrifices of veterans but do not wear remembrance poppies. For background, poppies are traditionally worn on Remembrance Day, a holiday honouring Canada's war dead observed on November 11. This remark directly led to Cherry's firing from Hockey Night in Canada two days later (on Remembrance Day itself).