23 July, 2008

Category Archives: Don Cherry

Summertime on the NHL Network: Not Yet Must-See TV

By pucksandbooks
Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Any criticism of the NHL Network has to be qualified with the acknowledgment that during its dullest, most uninspired of programming slates it offers puckheads a respite — 24 hours a day — from ESPN and everything else that is broadcast-indifferent to our great game. So it is in the spirit of constructive criticism and unyielding gratitude that I offer my personal assessment of what the network presently is and what it could, and should, become.

In July especially, the network has relied, disproportionately, on replays of games from the most recent NHL postseason. To reiterate, were it to broadcast merely the pre-game warmups from those games I’d embrace that over say a home run derby carried off by bloodstream-polluted lab rats called major leaguers. Or televised poker. Or the WNBA. (Gracious what a wasteland July in American sports is.) But the NHL Network, which is a promotional tool for the league, isn’t going to lure in new viewers with that manner of prime-time programming. I love hockey as much as Mr. Hockey, but I just don’t need a refresher on game 4 between the Ducks and Stars from April. Every night of the summer.

In this odd bit of recurring programming the outlet seems to fail to recognize that the allure of NHL postseason hockey is the cumulative effect playoff series have — of antagonism built up over the course of 10 days, and from rivalries forged from season to season — and that isolating individual, non-classic playoff games isn’t the same thing as chronicling the Habs-Nordiques April wars of two decades ago.

But initially let’s acknowledge what the network is getting right. Some of the network’s staple programming — ‘Hockey Odyssey’ and ‘Hockey Academy,’ for instance — is quite good, carrying strong production values and well serving the larger hockey community. These 30-minute programs are not easy to produce, nor do they offer the promise of delivering big revenue returns for their costs. These are acts of TV goodwill by the league for its supporters.

The network also deserves plaudits for its coverage of the most recent NHL Draft, most particularly for carrying forward coverage all the way through on Day 2. The draft has become a bit of a cult hit for the league, and so it’s a natural fit on the league’s TV network.

I was also very impressed by the NHL Network’s presence in Buffalo in the leadup to, and after-event coverage of, the Winter Classic. When the NHL hosts a special event, its network seems to rise to the occasion.

But covering hockey in the dead of winter ought to be like breathing for the rest of us for this network.

I’m not an XM subscriber, but I’m familiar enough with the characteristics of XM 204 to know that puckheads who have it are grateful for it. The league has something good going with XM, and in-season, when the NHL Network broadcasts all two hours of ‘NHL Live’ each day, that’s quality programming. Repeating it in the early evening is wise as well, as most fans aren’t home at 10:00 a.m. to view it. The network in the offseason suffers to some extent by losing such a program, which offers engaging in-studio interactions with serious league insiders like E.J. Hradek and their thoughtful take on league developments, delivered informally and always with enthusiasm. That’s a winner of a TV formula, and the network needs to find some manner of replacement for it in the offseason.

It seems to me that there needs to be a recognition by the network that its patrons in summer are, on some level, seeking an escape from summer heat, from baseball — from NASCAR most particularly. It’s then when we most need images and associations of our frozen game. So why not offer up a re-broadcast of the very first league-sponsored outdoor game, the Heritage Classic, when frosty Edmonton froze up the event’s Zambonis? Some NHL teams are now annually holding one or more practice sessions outdoors (as the Caps do at Chevy Chase Country Club). Footage from those affairs would be especially novel to view in the dog days of summer.

There are also compelling stories emerging from every NHL summer Development Camp. The league’s network should be broadcasting press conferences and prospect interviews and even snippets of scrimmages. When George McPhee beamed in front of cameras at Kettler Capitals last week about the arrival of the Frozen Four in Washington next spring, that was an occasion for all of hockey to celebrate. This is not a league or a sport that goes dark in the dead of summer (influencing, incidentally, the genesis of OnFrozenBlog) — and its TV channel ought to reflect that.

I’ve yet to see ‘Slapshot’ air on the network. May I ask why? Schedule that for one summer Saturday night, and promote it with an appearance by the principal actors offering commentary in interludes, and see if more than 17 folks tune in (the Canadian Parliament will go out of session).

This is a league that is chronicled, on line, by some of the most creative and talented commentators in all of sports. Why wouldn’t the league open up a few hours of its offseason each week on the NHL Network to the wit and wisdom of its bloggers? “My NHL” was advertised by the league just a couple of seasons ago. Make it so on the network in summer, and eventually year round. After all, we’ve given traditional media a fair century at the endeavor, to underwhelming reviews.

The NHL was bold and beautiful with its idea of a Winter Classic; similarly, it needs to be bold and beautiful with its around-the-clock television broadcast branding. Especially during Redskins’ training camp.

Filed in Blogs, Don Cherry, Hockey, Hockey Movies, Internet, Media, Morning cup-a-joe, NHL Network, National Hockey League, Stanley Cup Playoffs, The Winter Classic, Washington Capitals| Permalink| Comments (13)

Test Your Cherry Comprehension

By DC Sports Chick
Saturday, July 5, 2008

I have to give Jason Plautz credit: this quiz isn’t as easy as I might have supposed. There are actually one or two puzzlers in the bunch; not sure if that says more about Don Cherry or clowns.

Tough Question
Filed in Don Cherry, Hockey Night in Canada, Hockey Wit, TV| Permalink| Comments (13)

“Philly-Washington is going to be downright ugly”

By Gustafsson
Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Yesterday, the NHL held a media conference call with several big name broadcasters, Don Cherry of CBC’s “Hockey Night in Canada�, Mike Emrick from VERSUS and NBC, Pierre McGuire from TSN and NBC and Mike Milbury from NBC and TSN. Each broadcaster started the call with a few words about a series before they took questions. Pierre McGuire spoke of the Caps/Flyers matchup.

PIERRE McGUIRE: Well, I’d like to talk a little bit about the Philadelphia Flyers and the Washington Capitals. I think this series has a chance to have the most bloodshed of all the series, and the big reason why is because of the targeting that’s going to go on. Whether you talk about going after Alex Ovechkin or even challenging a rookie like Nicklas Backstrom, I think that’s going to be real tough for Backstrom who’s never played in an NHL playoff game.

I think when you look at the Philadelphia Flyers under John Stevens, he brought back a little bit about what made the Flyers good in the 1970s and that’s intimidation. It’s not easy to do now with the way games are being called, but I expect you’re going to see players like Braydon Coburn having an impact on the series Philadelphia is going to win. I think you’re going to see Steve Downie and Scottie Upshaw potentially have an impact if Philadelphia is going to win.

But the thing that Alex Ovechkin does, like any superstar in the NHL, is he attacks the people that are trying to attack him. He will not be intimidated. He’s yet to show that in his three years in the league, so I expect it’s going to come down to a goaltending situation, and who’s going to be the better goalie. And right now neither one of those goalies has won a playoff round in their NHL history.

I think right now Huet has probably got a little bit of an advantage, but I think the MVP of this entire thing is George McPhee, the general manager of the Washington Capitals at the trade deadline. One of the reasons they are in the playoffs is he got Fedorov, he got Matt Cooke who’s been a tremendous energy player for them, and obviously Huet. What they’ve done with Bruce Boudreau is they’ve cultivated talent like Mike Green to put them in a position where they have a chance to succeed.

But when you play against Washington, the most underrated part of their game because everybody focuses on the skill of Kozlov, Fedorov and Ovechkin, they’ve got powers upon powers on defense. Shaone Morrisonn is a big body. They lean on you. They’re not intimidated. This will be a long, physical bloody series and I think the Washington Capitals will win it, but I think they’re going to win it under severe physical duress.

With the storybook season of this year’s Caps — along with the Caps and Flyers being two of the most improved teams this year — a majority of the questions focused on the Caps and Flyers. Here they are:

Q. Pierre, a lot of buzz about Ovechkin as MVP this year. Why beyond statistics do you feel he would be a candidate?

PIERRE McGUIRE: Because he can do it by himself. A lot of guys need other players around him. He can make himself great and make this team win because he is so overwhelmingly dominant because of the physical nature of his game.

The one thing that he does, and Don and Mike coached against him and obviously Mike played against him. Teemu Selanne was great but he needed Andy McDonald with him or another career type of player to do that. Alexander Ovechkin doesn’t need that. You give him a stick and a puck and he doesn’t even need gloves. He’s virtually indestructible. I would call him a cyborg.

When you look at it, he is without a doubt the MVP of the league, and whoever has a vote that doesn’t vote for him should have that vote rescinded. He’s the MVP of the league.

Q. Mike Milbury, you’ve seen a lot of players in your time. Is there anyone that Ovechkin reminds you of, or is he kind of his own man?

MIKE MILBURY: He’s taken it to another level that I haven’t seen. When you see him jumping up against the glass and the enthusiasm that he demonstrates with his teammates, whether it’s him scoring a goal or not doesn’t seem to matter to this guy. There’s no question he’s as electrifying a player as I’ve seen when you put him in that category. Crosby last year was in that similar vein, but I think Ovechkin may have knocked it up a notch. It’s hard to believe that he can, but this is as improbable a run as you’d want to expect from a team that was down and out until Boudreau comes along and turns them into just a fantasy that’s hard to believe. It’s great for Washington and they’ve waited a long time and it looks like they should be good for a lot of years to come.

DON CHERRY: I think George McPhee did a great job. I heard him on the radio, and he said, yes, well, we all knew that Boudreau was a great hockey mind. That’s why he left him in the minors for 17 years I guess it was, and he named him interim. Who’s kidding who? He was there just until he found another coach, and all of a sudden he pulled a little magic out and now he’s staying.

But make no mistake about it, when he first went there, he was just cannon fodder until he found another coach.

MIKE EMRICK: One last thing on Ovechkin, the last time I checked he was tenth in the league in hits, and he’s the scoring champion.

Continue reading ›

Filed in Alexander Ovechkin, Bruce Boudreau, CBC, Cristobal Huet, Don Cherry, George McPhee, Media, Mike Emrick, Mike Milbury, NBC, National Hockey League, Philadelphia Flyers, Pierre McGuire, Sergei Fedorov, Shaone Morrisonn, Stanley Cup Playoffs, TSN, Versus, Viktor Kozlov, Washington Capitals| Permalink| Comments (24)

Training Camp for Washington Sports Editors

By pucksandbooks
Wednesday, January 9, 2008

Morning Cup-A-JoeNear 8:00 this past Saturday night, Washington’s mainstream sports editors confronted an annual dilemma: the end of another Redskins’ season. Joe Gibbs’ second retirement from football offered our local press horde a brief stay of execution from the Burgundy and Gold beat, but today the harsh reality sets in.

Their dilemma is existential: what now?

To the disappointment of Wizards’ fans, and the horror of Dan Steinberg, Agent Zero recently hinted at the likelihood of shutting it down this season to recover fully from his knee injury. Nats’ pitchers and catchers don’t report south for weeks. We’re many months away from Tiger’s return to town.

Customarily, this season in the D.C. sports calendar dictates that sports editors assign their staff the research and drafting of obituaries for American sports legends solidly on life’s back nine. Long lunches. And vacations.

We at OFB, however, think that with the arrival of Redskin-free Januaries, henceforth and inaugurating with this one, the region’s hockey bloggers, in a joint endeavor with the Washington Capitals, ought to conduct a training camp for MSM sports editors.

To introduce them to the sport of hockey.

In a very real sense, it’d be analogous to the fantasy camps the well-heeled, middle-aged, and portly participate in across all sports. Making no judgment on the physical well being of our MSM editors, it’s abundantly clear that their cognitive acumen with respect to hockey is, shall we say, under exercised. As such, the heart of our camp would feature a fully developed Capitals University for the editors. JoeB is particularly busy at this time of year, but given the claims of this cause, I’d anticipate some creative schedule juggling on his part and ultimately his cooperation.

Orientation would have to start with the most basic of basics: a Mapquest route from WaPost and the various network broadcast studios in the District to Kettler Capitals. Initially, the editors would be picked up and led to the facility by various Caps’ players in a caravan, but as part of a camp final exam, the editors would have to demonstrate their ability to navigate their own way to the Capitals’ new home.

Early on, too, it would imperative to dispel some false assumptions long held by the editors. For instance, on Day One of camp we’d have one of the region’s meteorologists present Dopler data conforming that no reporters covering Caps’ games actually freeze from the experience. Indeed, at Verizon Center, there’s the greater likelihood of visitors suffering heat stroke. It is simply not true that the Caps travel to Saskatchewan to contest their games outdoors December through March.

As part of camp, the editors would be taken on field trips to the region’s rinks — Reston, Ft. Dupont, Columbia and Cabin John — where they would be asked to view the thousands of youths, male and female, clogging the weekend clocks morning, noon, and night with the playing of hockey. They would be asked to sit in the rinks’ stands among players’ parents and interview them about families’ devotion — in finances, time, and travel — to the sport of ice hockey. The tongues the hockey families would speak in would be foreign to the editors, and so bloggers and Caps’ communications professionals like Mike Vogel would be strategically stationed in the stands to facilitate translation.

Back at camp, VIP speakers would address the editors. An emissary from the Canadian Embassy would allege that his home is not in fact a 51st American state or territory, but instead a sovereign nation which celebrates the awe-inspiring playgrounds that nature etches across his home’s landscape for half the calendar year. Executives from cable television providers would arrive and testify to the fact that indeed thousands of Washingtonian households spiritedly subscribe to NHL CenterIce and the NHL Network.

High priests of puck like Don Cherry and Barry Melrose would lunch and cocktail hour with the campers and lead chalkboard Xs and Os and endearing narratives of the sport’s legacy. Melrose would even suggest that here in Washington there is a viable Jack Adams candidate.

Craigh Laughlin and Joe Reekie would lead a discussion of conflict resolution in hockey, and how the United Nations Security Council is not involved.

A professor of comparative literature and linguistics from the University of Maryland would attend and identify the sliver of contemporary professional athletes who commonly speak to the press in complete sentences, often thoughtfully. He will introduce the editors to the concepts of humility and modesty that commonly lace these orations.

The District’s Chief of Police would brief the editors on the needlessness of bringing along weapons of self defense into the players’ rooms during interviews.

Necessarily, camp would conclude with a screening of ‘Slapshot,’ and accompanying consumption of beer would be mandatory.

To prepare for camp, we who conduct it might want to view the film ‘300,’ for in this quest we face the same odds for victory as the Spartans.

Filed in Barry Melrose, Don Cherry, Hockey Movies, Kettler Capitals Iceplex, Lisa Hillary, Media, Morning cup-a-joe, Other Sports, Redskins, Washington Capitals, Washington Post| Permalink| Comments (9)

Grapes on Dames at Games

By pucksandbooks
Saturday, November 24, 2007

We wanted to allow Liz to get settled in a bit here before we approached Grapes for his thoughts on our adding a member of the fairer sex to our townhouse of testosterone. In this week of giving thanks, we original OFBers are thankful she’s joined our team and improved our site. It’s been a fun first month together.

Grapes wouldn’t speak to us on the record about this, but he did have a few thoughts about women who attend hockey games.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRm_K9OpYbo

Filed in Coach's Corner, Don Cherry, Hockey Night in Canada, Media, TV, Video Clips, Washington Capitals| Permalink| Comments (5)

I’m Taking a Television Mistress

By pucksandbooks
Friday, September 14, 2007

Cup'pa JoeIt’s Siberia-far from their best work, but the Cure have a song titled ‘Friday I’m in Love.’ I awoke and logged on this morning to news from my bloggermate Gus that beginning in just another couple of weeks cable and satellite television providers all across North America would be offering the puck-crazed their long longed-for NHL Network. Twenty four hours of televised hockey seven days a week three hundred and sixty five days a year.

It’s Friday and I’m in television lust.

Heaven I imagine to offer fellas like me non-stop broadcasts of hockey on enlarged screens in high definition, with a few tab-free beers. Wait, that’s now my new home in Montgomery County in three weeks’ time. (I’m not in a mood to be trifled with particulars such as whether or not Comcast will offer the outlet locally; if it doesn’t, I’ll move. Nobody likes Friday joy-buzz-killers.)

In this region where Steve Czabins and their print ilk would have you believe hardly anyone is truly interested in consuming hockey media, I personally know of 61 individuals who will some time next month order the NHL Network.

If this news is dour in any regard, it is from the vantage of my mother, who’d really like to see me married and laboring toward grandchildren for her. How am I to schedule a date in this new broadcast environs? I have to work, bathe, and blog as it is, and now with this news, bid adieu to all future family and social functions.

pucksandbooks in pjsThis morning I’m actually conceiving bloggers’ pajama parties centered around weekends seated before the NHL Network. The Washington Times’ Corey Masisak debuted his very promising looking blog this week; he’d look funny in a set of those footie pajamas. Imagine if we arranged such an event for some February Saturday and a life-stopping Nor’easter settled in on D.C. right as Grapes was in full fury during Coach’s Corner. Even if we had a few laptops among us I doubt you’d hear from us again.

Here’s one strategem for liberating me from my home this autumn and winter: have that marvel of modern multimedia, the Verizon Center’s new assault-all-of-your senses center ice scoreboard, offer two-hour evening feeds of the NHL Network. It’d be like going to the movies. It’d be my best, last chance at socializing again.

Filed in Coach's Corner, Corey Masisak, Don Cherry, Gary Bettman, Hockey Night in Canada, Media, Morning cup-a-joe, National Hockey League, TV, Washington Times| Permalink| Comments (2)

On Poorly Conceived PR Pranks

By pucksandbooks
Friday, July 20, 2007

Cup'pa JoeThe news that the Islanders have lured Hall of Fame Coach Al Arbour out of retirement to come back and coach a single game behind their bench on November 3 has the smell of misguided gimmick to it. (He’ll sign a one-day contract the previous day, which the league  apparently will honor.) Certainly the move doesn’t bolster the credibility of the long ridiculed length and alleged meaninglessness of NHL regular season games. And if the Penguins and Islanders are entwined in a tight affair late that night, does Ted Nolan really want a man removed from NHL bench leadership by more than a decade making the vital line calls? Perhaps Arbour won’t, in which case this is a genuine gimmick of credibility demeaning nostalgia. A long disorganized and unserious organization has this week freshly reminded us of the merits of its laughingstock status.

Nolan, apparently, is particularly disturbed that Arbour’s games-coached tally has been stuck on 1,499:

“Every day last season I would walk by that big board outside our locker room at the Coliseum that lists the franchise’s award winners and milestones,” said Nolan. “And every day it would kill me when I’d see Coach Arbour made it to 1,499 games.”

Aren’t players and coaches supposed to leave the game when their genuine and general effectiveness is finished, irrespective off well-rounded-off participation numbers? Isn’t that at the heart of credibility in our games?

To some extent hockey is prone to these showmanship stages of stupidity. Remember Gordie Howe’s appearance in a Detroit Vipers’ uniform at the age of 69 in 1997? It was an outlandish attempt by Howe to obtain credit for “skating professionally” in his sixth or ninth decade. Mr. Hockey has no greater admirer than yours truly, but there were forays in his later years that invited universal criticism for irrefutable unseemliness. And of course there’s the ubiquitously negative association, explanation altogether unnecessary, with Gary Bettman’s “Glo-puck.”      

I’d be interested to know what Don Cherry’s take on this Isles’ prank is this morning.

But here’s a big “but” to my critique of hockey’s looking to the past and attempting to honor it. Such attempts, when appropriately conceived, can be enriching events. Not long after my early visits to Kettler Capitals this past season I had a few discussions with various members’ of the team’s communications staffers about the general appeal and terrific possibilities associated with the Caps’ annual Alumni game. In this shinny new showcase home the game, I told them, could be must-see affair for Caps’ fans of all ages and patronage periods. We all agreed that sooner rather than later the stands would be teeming with puckheads embracing a glimpse of the team’s past.

That alumni game has drawn largely middling participation from Caps past, most commonly of those who’ve remained reasonably near D.C. after their careers ended. But with the team’s uniform unveiling and Entry Draft party last month, we saw the dawning I think of a refreshing embrace of that past, by the team and its alumni, with the likes of Langway, Sylvan Cote, and especially Mike Gartner returning home. I would expect all three to skate in next spring’s Alumni Game, schedules permitting.

Now then, I have this idea for expanding the production values and overall quality of that game. There should be an audio call of it, broadcast in Kettler and on the team’s web site, by a broadcaster lured, for one night, out of his retirement. That same night, this broadcaster should be honored with his own banner raised in the rink. His name is Ron Weber.     

   

Filed in Don Cherry, Morning cup-a-joe, New York Islanders, Ron Weber, Washington Capitals| Permalink| Comments (6)

I Can’t Believe It’s Not . . . Don Cherry?

By OrderedChaos (Mike Rucki)
Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Don Cherry ImpersonatorCan’t get enough of Don Cherry’s blustery take on hockey and the world in general? Are you sinking into a deep funk at the prospect of a long summer without a little Cherry to brighten your Saturdays? Well now you can have the inimitable Don Cherry experience brought right to your door!

Yes, your dreams have come true: Comedian Clark Robinson is a Don Cherry impersonator whom you can hire out of Calgary for your corporate event or fundraiser. As per the Corporate Comedians website: “Why have some emcee present stock jokes from the internet when you can have a professional comedian present Don Cherry to rock and sock your world! When Don Cherry hosts your event, people listen!”

Sure people listen . . . though he may be hard to hear over that loud suit. Zing! Thank you folks, I’m here all week. Try the prime rib.

Honestly it’s a pretty neat idea, and I can see him getting big laughs at the right event. Hmm, perhaps he can be the celebrant for my wedding . . . Ow! Put down the hockey stick, sweetie, I was just kidding . . .

Filed in Coach's Corner, Don Cherry| Permalink| Comments (3)

Watching Game 4 in Canada

By OrderedChaos (Mike Rucki)
Tuesday, June 5, 2007

Gustafsson and I watched Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals on Canadian soil — at the Canadian Embassy in Washington, DC. Elliot Segal was there to cheer on the Sens, as were fellow blogger friends DC Sports Chick, 1/2 Asian Man, and Ken of Japers’ Rink. You can see Elliot enthralled (along with the rest of us) by Don Cherry’s blustery tirade against modern hockey elbow pads on the far right of the big-screen photo below.

The event was hosted by Connect2Canada, “a way to exchange news and ideas, and find out what is happening in the U.S. related to Canada.” The organization was founded two years ago by former Ambassador Frank McKenna, and is a great source for information about our neighbors to the north.

That holy grail of Canadian beer, Alexander Keith’s, was also present, much to the delight of the evening’s attendees. Even better, we were thrilled to find authentic poutine: french fries topped with cheese curds (squeaky cheese!) and gravy. Trust me, try some if you get the chance; Gustafsson practically had a gravy IV.

While the result of the game disappointed the crowd of Canadians and Canadian well-wishers, the event was a rousing success. Embassy staffers were even kind enough to escort a few of us to the roof for a few photos. Additional thanks to 1/2 Asian Man [and DC Sports Chick] for snapping a few of the interior photos, particularly the one of me gleefully reveling behind our many beverage containers.

Â

Washington Monument

Â

Â

Capitol Dome

Â

Â

Canadian Seal

Â

Continue reading ›

Filed in Alexander Keith's, Anaheim Ducks, Coach's Corner, Don Cherry, Hockey, Ottawa Senators| Permalink| Comments (7)

High Stakes for Hockey Night in Canada

By pucksandbooks
Saturday, April 7, 2007

rivalry.jpgIs tonight’s Habs-Leafs tilt (Air Canada Centre, 7:00) the most significant between these historic franchises in a generation? For the purposes of a bit of fun and novel hype . . . yes. It’s the final game of the season for both teams, and the Habs and Leafs and the Islanders are in a fierce race to the finish for the Eastern conference’s final playoff berth. But as print media in both Canadian cities this morning point out, some of the allure here is tempered by the reality that neither club is a serious Stanley Cup threat.

This morning Montreal resides in 8th place in the East, with 90 points. Toronto is right behind them in 9th, at 89 points. And the Isles, who have two games remaining this weekend (a matinée with Philly today and one with the Devils tomorrow), are in 10th with 88 points. With a win tonight, Montreal is in. The Leafs, however, not only must win but get some help from either Philly or New Jersey to keep from being passed by the Isles.

The Globe and Mail this morning isn’t quite as enamored with the matchup as one south of the 49th might imagine: the two teams are akin to “average high-school students about to take their final exam.” Ouch!

The Toronto Sun on the other hand is embracing the novelty of this winner-almost-takes all showdown: “It’s like the hockey gods decided to give the fans a treat.”

The Montreal Gazette this morning is all over this game. Its home page bears a one-word headline above a photo of the Habs — “Showdown.” Gazette columnist Jack Todd, in his column “This is it, hockey fans – the night of nights,” argues that tonight’s is the biggest game between the teams “since the Toronto Maple Leafs won their last Stanley Cup by upsetting the Canadiens in 1967.”

Wow.

Todd does his part to fan the frenzy:

“Hockey Night in Canada’s ratings will be off the charts tonight, Don Cherry will be in full Maple Leaf drag and in pubs and offices from coast to coast, Leafs and Canadiens fans will taunt and insult one another to the point of fisticuffs.”

NHL.com reporter Evan Grossman points out that while tonight’s is the 682nd meeting of these historic franchises, it is the first to conclude a regular season for both teams in 64 years, and never has such a game between them decided a playoff fate.

Mother Nature is doing Her part to provide an appropriate backdrop. There are April snow showers in both cities, and for those of us here who’ll follow the proceedings via Center Ice, we awoke this morning to a white frosting of our trees and lawns for our Saturday morning joe. I love it.

Filed in Don Cherry, Eastern Conference, Hockey Night in Canada, Media, Montreal Canadiens, Morning cup-a-joe, National Hockey League, Stanley Cup Playoffs, Toronto Maple Leafs| Permalink| Comments (2)

Don Cherry Expands on the Web

By Gustafsson
Saturday, February 3, 2007

Coach's Corner on CBCWe at OFB love Don Cherry. We may not always agree with him, but you have to agree that his passion, enthusiasm, and candor is not only refreshing, but should be embraced. I record Hockey Night in Canada on NHL Centre Ice every week to watch Coach’s Corner, if nothing else.

Now there comes some great news from the CBC via Kukla’s Korner.

“CBC.ca will launch a special online version of Coach’s Corner … with new content, design and features. Enhancements include an improved and larger video picture and an online forum allowing hockey fans to submit their remarks regarding Don’s, uh, ‘legendary’ weekly commentary.”

If you have never seen Coach’s Corner, be sure to check it out.

Filed in CBC, Coach's Corner, Don Cherry, Hockey Night in Canada, TV| Permalink| Comments (2)

Giving Thanks for the Passion of Don Cherry

By The OFB Team
Thursday, November 23, 2006

Where would hockey be without Don Cherry? At OFB, we don’t like to think about that, and today we are thankful for Grapes, recently voted the 7th most important Canadian . . . in the history of that country. Because love him or hate him, there’s no denying his passion for the planet’s greatest game, and it’s the possession of this passion that unites we who cherish and daily celebrate hockey. In nearly a quarter century of sharing it on his Hockey Night in Canada broadcasts, Don Cherry has ingited a love for hockey in untold thousands all across North America. This week we found him magnificently captured by Scott Burnside of ESPN.com.

“I don’t play golf. I don’t do anything but hockey. Hockey is my whole life.”

cherry.jpg
Filed in CBC, Don Cherry, Hockey Night in Canada, Media, TV| Permalink| Comments (3)