Apparently Don Cherry will be appearing on NBC’s coverage of the playoffs, and Chuck felt compelled to forewarn American viewers of what exactly they’re in for.
Without further ado, here’s the list portion of the column:
Top 12 Things to Note While Watching Don Cherry on NBC:
And you thought spats were dead
Suddenly, the peacock looks terribly conservative
Don spent his entire hockey career in the U.S. (again, thanks for that)
Breathe a sigh of relief, that suit is custom-made. It will not reproduce
He operates with a seven-second delay: in both the broadcast and the connection between his brain and his mouth
No, listen closer, he said he’s won Coach of the Year not Couch of the Year
Yes, he is yelling. We have no idea why, either
Before passing judgment on his logic, remember he’s been punched more times than a time clock at General Motors
If you follow the standard drinking game rules and take a shot whenever he says the phrase ‘you kids out there,’ you will pass out before the second commercial break
He can normally be seen in the first intermission and, from most satellites
If he somehow happens to nail the pronunciation of ‘Afinogenov’, Jesus is contractually-obligated to appear
The MUTE and TINT buttons on your remote are there for a reason
I’m sure some of the hockey fans on this board, (particularly the Canadians) could come up with some other warnings, as a public service to any potentially new hockey fans worldwide.
Other things to note while watching Don Cherry on NBC.
Cherry’s suit colors have been known to explode high definition sets.
Don Cherry is never wrong. Just ask him.
Cherry berates the crew in the truck when the don’t stop the video exactly on the spot he wants to highlight, but he lacks the technical expertise to set the clock on his VCR.
Oh man. They’re letting Grapes loose on American airwaves?
To you 'murikans: On behalf of Canadian sportscasting, I apologize. Really. We have nothing against you, so please don’t take this personally. Just have your finger near the mute button when watching hockey or post-game wrapups and you’ll be okay. Hey, we survived.
[sub]Hey, as long as he’s going, can he take his Rock 'em Sock 'em videos with him?[/sub]
So the guy wears loud suits to get attention, is overbearing and full of himself, and kind of a dick? How does this make him different from a million other broadcast celebrities, such as Deion Sanders, Rush Limbaugh, Jim Rome, etc.?
Next thing you know American viewers will find out about the Kamagata Maru, Lelani Muir, and the Somalian torture scandal, and then we can just go ahead and close the embassy.
Well, have those guys ever been booed in Congress? Cherry has certainly been booed in Parliament (cite).
Ah, Don Cherry. Living proof that not all Canadians are mild-mannered and polite. It’ll do the US good, I think, to have him on their airwaves for a while. Enjoy!
He knows the game so well, more than just the rules. He can afford to be cocky. Don’t apoligize for him! finally the Yankees will have a broadcaster who has a CLUE about the game.
Plus, they have had to deal with John Davidson for years!!
The important thing is, Don Cherry is entertaining. Love him or love to hate him, but hockey fans in Canada always pay attention to Don. I love the way he constantly bitch-slaps Ron Mclean. And Mclean plays the straight man perfectly. They should both be on NBC together.
I love Don Cherry. I used to to get some Canadian channels when I lived in North Dakota and I always like him. He’s the only announcer I ever heard who would exclaim “Now THAT’S good hockey” during a bench clearing brawl.
I’ve sometimes described him to Americans as the Canadian version of John Madden, but I think Cherry is much more entertaining. I also think he does have some real knowledge of the game upstars but sometimes it takes a little effort for him to rattle it loose.
His pronuciations of French and Russian names are hilarious. I remember hearing him call Jaromir Jagr “Yammy.” You can tell he doesn’t care if he gets the names right or not, especially since he seems to have a distaste for European and French Canadian players. He can be stunningly politically incorrect about that stuff but he mostly gets away with it somehow.
My favorite don Pronoucination at the moment. and i know hes trying it to. “Jacques Martin” is “JACK MARTIN”
Also i question wether or not Cherry really said now
thats good hockey" to a bench clearning brawl. I mean the guy loves the code and he appreciates two enforcers at it. But hes never really over joyed at the gong show when it does happen. Also in my understanding he never does play by play (he may have before my time. and id love to see it if he did!).
I was exaggerating. He didn’t literally say that live, but he is fond of “donnybrooks” and openly supportive of physical play. I really did hear him say “Now that was good hockey” during an interview once about a playoff series that had several fights in it.
Michael Irvin and Deion Sanders are little conservative mice in comparison to Don Cherry. John Madden isn’t even in Cherry’s zip code. By comparison those guys are politically correct and dull. I think he’s a scream. He’s boorish, bigoted, rude and loud, but to his credit he’s been supporting women’s hockey since before anyone else cared about it, and I’ll always give him credit for that. He does know his hockey, too.
There’s a lot wrong about the CBC, but let me tell you, they know how to do a sports broadcast. “Hockey Night in Canada” is the model for a professional sports broadcasting, and has been copied many times in many countries. It’s as slick, as professional, and as entertaining a sports presentation as you will ever see, perfectly produced in every respect.
Cherry is a key part of that, but he’s just one cog in the machine - the entire cast and crew is just wonderful at their jobs. Cherry provides one perspective on Coach’s Corner, and he and Ron Maclean work perfectly together. They’ve been doing it for years and they have it down to a science.
CBC’s good at ALL sports, really. Their Olympic broadcasts are just fantastic, even with Brian Williams repeating the time in every Canadian time zone every ninety seconds. Whatever they decide to put on - skiing, figure skating, football - they do it extremely well. But Hockey Night in Canada is the creme de la creme, arguably the best regular sports broadcast on the planet.
