Don Cherry's Comments

[b.shanafan14 733]

Ovie was asked about Cherry in the post-game, didn't really hold back considering Cherry's criticism: "he's gonna be pissed off for sure", "old coaches, old system"

http://watch.tsn.ca/nhl/clip151949#clip151949

I love it. I don't hate Cherry, but a lot of the time he has grown a little back asswards. Ron McLean deserves a medal, Cherry still has the ability to make some good points but then he often counters with a comment making him look like hockey's Bill O'Reilly

Edited March 20, 2009 by b.shanafan14

[I Red Wings I 40]

"Coaches Rumor" LOL, just last week Cherry was talking about how Ovechkin was listening to him and he'll stop all the antics.

[akustyk 84]

Cherry is sour grapes (oh the irony!) that NHL adjusted to the European players

and their style of hockey.

here's the info for you Mr. Grapes: this is the least NHL can do for fetching all the

best talent from Europe and leaving European fans without possibility to watch

home grown talent in person. at least we can now watch hockey online, which

is a game played by many Euro players who show all their best skills and abilities.

don't like it? start your own league and fill 30 rosters with quality players who

make this game fun to watch. can't? try with 15 then? still can't?

oh... then shut the * up and get over the fact that this is no longer

Canadian-boys-only game. get back to earth and understand this league is

different and this is European players that make it as valueable to viewers.

thank you

Edited March 20, 2009 by akustyk

[Guest GordieSid&Ted]

Best part about all of this is AO's post game comments of:

"I don't care what Cherry says"

and

"oh yeah, this is gonna piss him off"

I love it. Good for Alex.

I'm not a fan of showboating. I was never much of a goal scorer and if I did score, I'd be humble about it and just tap gloves with my linemates or whatever, no big deal.

And for years I have liked Grapes. He's a sad, funny old character. But he's a character and I happen to share his love of hard fought hockey. The rest of what he says is absurd.

That being said, I don't mind seeing AO go apes*** after scoring b/c it gets attention. I am first and foremost a hockey fan and nothing brings me more joy (other than a Wings cup) than to see new people get hooked on the sport.

For years we bitched and moaned about our automaton-like players with their canned post game interviews and their lack of personality.

Finally, we have a guy who celebrates like TO. But doesn't derail his team or bring the bad baggage along like TO does. Simply, the guy loves to score and his personality is just damned likeable. He makes you want to watch hockey.

I have no problem with him at all doing this. And for those overly dramatic types here, he doesn't have some pre planned routine he unleashes after every single goal. Watch some Caps games, he doesn't go over the top with every goal he scores. This was his 50th. A big goal for a player. Should he do it when he's up 6-0. No. But 50 is 50, that was a big goal, no problem with him having some fun.

AO is getting the league the kind of exposure it's yearned for. We finally have a personality and unlike Rodman, Barkley, TO, Chad Johnson, Arod, Sosa, McGwire.....what AO is doing is not only good for attention, he's not doing any of the bad s*** like those f***ers listed above were. We ought to feel damned lucky to have a guy like him who is passionate, charismatic, is an entertainer as well as an athlete but doesn't do the detrimental things other prima donnas do in other leagues.

[akustyk 84]

Best part about all of this is AO's post game comments of:

(...)

AO is getting the league the kind of exposure it's yearned for. We finally have a personality and unlike Rodman, Barkley, TO, Chad Johnson, Arod, Sosa, McGwire.....what AO is doing is not only good for attention, he's not doing any of the bad s*** like those f***ers listed above were. We ought to feel damned lucky to have a guy like him who is passionate, charismatic, is an entertainer as well as an athlete but doesn't do the detrimental things other prima donnas do in other leagues.

damned well said! people should stop whining about this kid simply having fun

and wanting to display it.

it's not AO's fault his playing in US/Canada where the culture makes people feel

uncomfortable about seeing others display their emotions. this, Mr. Cherry, TSN

and all other american critics of Ovechkin enthusiasm, is not even normal for

most people in the world. Mexicans, Spanish, Italians, Russian, Brazilian, Irish,

Polish, hell... even Dutch - all do show emotions and all feel normal when seeing

others do that. because people just have it in them that they want to celebrate

and let others know about that. and you can't blame them for that.

my 0.02€

[Cern 0]

Just viewed the clip - is AO doing an impersonation of Jimi Hendrix?

Kinda sorta. He's pretending his stick is too hot to pick up.

[Cern 0]

DC just replied to Ovie just now on Coach's Corner.

Most of the time I just change the channel when he comes on but I think he actually handled it very well this time.

Also, lolled hard when Ron put on the massive novelty glasses.

[BlueMonk 102]

Nice job by Cherry. Made his point about what he doesn't like about what Ovie did while at the same time praising him as a hockey player (called him the best player in the league), defending his intentions (not trying to taunt, just having fun) and called him a classy guy, to boot.

Grapes FTW!

[Detroit # 1 Fan 2,204]

Don had his game face on, him tossing off MacLeans glasses was priceless!

[cusimano_brothers 1,655]

The high road taken.

We'll see what happens next; sometimes even the young have a problem with "selective hearing".

[LeftWinger 5,131]

real quick. I now classify Ovechkin as an Ass Hat! After watching that display of antics after his 50th goal,I pretty much threw up in my mouth! What, does he think he is the only player to ever score 50? I could see a celebration if he scored his 94th, but 50, c'mon ass hat, its no wonder none of our team mates celebrated with you! I got a feeling Fedorov was just shaking his head watching that! Hey ass hat, please come down off your high horse, you are a disgrace to the NHL.

[I Red Wings I 40]

I don't mind his antics, if players hate it, keep him from scoring. All the attention he gets from Cherry will only egg him on, I don't believe anyone is going to "get him"

[LeftWinger 5,131]

I don't mind his antics, if players hate it, keep him from scoring. All the attention he gets from Cherry will only egg him on, I don't believe anyone is going to "get him"

his antics have grown old. Ad his display after #50 was disgusting. No, noone will get him. Save that kind of celebration for a goal that actually means something. Hey, maybe show up for the playoffs once in a while? That might help!

[akustyk 84]

what exactly do you find disgusting in what Ovechkin did?

did he insult you?

did he disrespect the goalie or the players on the other team?

or did he just show his emotions in a funny way...?

jesus... get some life... Ovie's just enthusiastic and plays with passion.

passion, right?

[Electrophile 3,554]

The only person who should be bothered with Don Cherry's opinion is Don Cherry.

He can rant and rave about Ovie's celebratory tactics all he wants, he's under absolutely no obligation whatsoever to give a damn.

[Electrophile 3,554]

real quick. I now classify Ovechkin as an Ass Hat! After watching that display of antics after his 50th goal,I pretty much threw up in my mouth! What, does he think he is the only player to ever score 50? I could see a celebration if he scored his 94th, but 50, c'mon ass hat, its no wonder none of our team mates celebrated with you! I got a feeling Fedorov was just shaking his head watching that! Hey ass hat, please come down off your high horse, you are a disgrace to the NHL.

Why don't you try and work the word "asshat" into this post another couple times, maybe then it'll start to make sense.

[Never_Retire_Steve 35]

I loved the comments Cherry made last night and thought they were spot on.

[MaynardJKeenan 1]

what exactly do you find disgusting in what Ovechkin did?

did he insult you?

did he disrespect the goalie or the players on the other team?

or did he just show his emotions in a funny way...?

jesus... get some life... Ovie's just enthusiastic and plays with passion.

passion, right?

X2 We need more of this in the game, imo.

[Broken 16 381]

Why don't you try and work the word "asshat" into this post another couple times, maybe then it'll start to make sense.

At least quote his use of the word asshat accurately... he had a space between "ass" and "hat".

Edited March 22, 2009 by Broken 16

[#1redwingfan 0]

his antics have grown old. Ad his display after #50 was disgusting. No, noone will get him. Save that kind of celebration for a goal that actually means something. Hey, maybe show up for the playoffs once in a while? That might help!

Are you new to hockey or something? "maybe show up for the playoffs once in a while?" Are you actually retarded or just entirely ignorant? Ovechkin is the best goal scorer in the NHL and took his team to the playoffs for the first time in a while last year. Not only that, but he scored some big goals in that series. He didn't score for a couple games that series (games 3-5 or something like that) but that is because Phili was shutting him down. I don't expect to get a decent response to this because you are so god damn ignorant, but if you see it maybe drop me a line.

PS. I haven't been on in a while but thank god you dropped that three dot bulls***, every post you put up on this site had about 5 "..." in it, if you are so speechless and hesitant, don't post anything ****** bag!

[rage 24]

I always liked HNIC, but Cherry is getting tired.

[sureWhyNot 19]

I don't mind his antics, if players hate it, keep him from scoring. All the attention he gets from Cherry will only egg him on, I don't believe anyone is going to "get him"

Wow, do you quote hockey analysts without citing them as a resource all the time, or just once in a while?

X2 We need more of this in the game, imo.

Go watch football if you like that garbage.

[I Red Wings I 40]

Wow, do you quote hockey analysts without citing them as a resource all the time, or just once in a while?

What's your point?

[sergei_is_still_a_wing 1]

alex is a funny guy and a jokester. he is good for the game no matter what he does (within reason of course).

This happens after EVERY SINGLE Touchdown in Football and no one says s***. And you can say well hockey players are classy and football players are criminals and ******* show offs, ect ect. and this is true to some extent. BUT, would you rather have some showmanship, or have the NHL fall to the 10th most popular sport in america with empty arenas all over the country.

The players in the NHL will always have more class than anyother sport IMO. If a guy wants to pull a sharpie out of his skate and sign a stick and give it to a fan in the first row, i will laugh and applaud it. Its not disrespectful, its celebratory.

I would define disrespect as the guy pointing to the other team making a "golf swing" with his stick and taunting the entire bench for missing the playoffs. No need for that in the game, but a little excitement is ok.

IMO this is why tiger woods is the most recognizable athelete in America (arguably). He took a quiet gentlemans game and turned it up a notch without crossing the line. he shows his emotions. atheletes are humans too. let them have fun.

[YoungGuns1340 1]

If you hear Ovechkin in the interview, it explains a lot. First of all, "the celebration" sounds more like an inside joke with his teammates than it does anything else. Looks more like teammate bonding after that. And then he acknowledges that Cherrys gonna talk about it, how hes gonna be pissed, how it likes it when Cherry brings him up, and then he says "old coach, old system."

Really, all that put together makes me like Ovechkin more. He acknowledges that its good to stir up s***, he knows its good to get people talking, and he knows hes making a name for himself in the process by doing things that are vilified in the old system.

The league should make him the head of publicity and be done with it.