The Don Cherry Story is a Winner!! Up Yours, Montreal Canadiens! ;)

Just kidding Montreal... But after watching Don's story, you can't help but be pissed at those relentless Montreal Canadiens.

And that's the thing about sports dynasties, isn't it? You cheer for the team that's winning them, but you don't think about the teams that were there losing each year, you know... (Though I can't help but smile every time I think about the North Stars and the Black Hawks getting whipped by Mario Lemieux when he won his 2 cups!)

Well Don, what could you do? Some teams are just unbeatable, and it truly was bad luck (from the Hockey Gods) for you and the Boston Bruins that it just happened to be the era of Guy LaFleur and the Montreal Canadiens...

I think Don could have won many Stanley Cups, and I agree that the NHL really is polluted with Politics between the players, coaches and Management. It's well known that if a player or coach messes around with his GM, suddenly no GM will talk to them or even deal with them going forward... You know, that infamous black list that we've all heard about...  And you just know that they had a spot on that list reserved for Don before he even coached his first game in the NHL (especially given his history from his playing days)..

Anyway, it was so great getting some context behind those scenes in the Coach's Corner starting reel, especially that infamous one where Cherry is taunting the crowd (shown in the image above). That was priceless, a showman till the end!

And I love how they tried so hard to explain to the hockey layman why fighting is a crucial part of the game. It's funny, fighting happens in almost every game, and it's been that way ever since the beginning, but the NHL really tries their best to hide it like it's not happening... And I mean, the fans love it, the players and coaches understand and use it, and yet the politicians in the league raise their noses at it... I don't know. I guess they'll never understand the concept of momentum and how fighting can shape it. They'll never understand how fighting controls the honour and respect in the game, and though it's looked at as the most anti-civil thing to do, in the game, it truly is the keeper of civility...

Anyway, back to the movie...

It was great to see how Don started as a colour commentator, and then got his own 7-minute slot - which we all know now as the Coach's Corner - when he was too colourful (for the CBC's liking) when commenting on the games.. I guess that's why they have Ron MacLean there playing interference, and feeding Don with all kinds of things to keep his mind away from destroying someone or something that deserves it...

This movie truly did Don justice and I loved every minute of it! Both my girl and I love Don Cherry, and maybe that makes us biased, but I have a hard time believing that anyone who watched that movie could have come away not liking it... Aside from those douchebag critics and media scum who like to rip apart anything that comes across their desks…

I'm sure even those smug Montreal Canadiens fans came away enjoying the movie, and watching Don suffer through all of those losses... That's ok Habs fans, there's no way you'll win another cup before even the Leafs do, and we all know that won't be happening anytime soon! ;)

--jackandcokewithalime

PS: For those of you who are looking for the schedule for a repeat of the movie, I apologize but I just couldn't find any listing anywhere (and believe me, I searched). If anyone knows of the schedule for an encore showing, if you could just add a comment with the date and time, it would be appreciated! Thanks!

PPS: I met Don Cherry once when I was in Tampa on business, when I caught him at the airport while the Stanley Cup Finals were going on between the Lightning and the Flames. I have to say, Don was the greatest guy, he shook my hand, he autographed my boarding pass (which I still have to this day), and man I wished I had a camera phone at that time... And who wants to talk to anyone when you're at the airport, you know... Don, you are the best!!


(Image:
Screenshot taken from CBC's Coach's Corner on a YouTube Video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1fTofVmDLJU)