god bless don cherry

grandma and grandpa immigrated from canada. i was raised in a northern climate, where a trip to a foreign country cost 50 cents and took 5 minutes. the wait is much longer now and i need a passport.

i grew up watching hockey night in canada, complete with peter puck between periods, and so many lanny macdonald references you thought he never left the ice. for the last several years i have purchased nhl center ice, to entertain myself and the brood. i also get the nhl network, which includes hockey night in canada with all the pre-game and intermission stuff.




that means hockey broadcasting legend don cherry. grapes spent most of his career in the minors, (ahl) and made his name on tv, with his outrageous suits and unapologetic commentary. love him or hate him, his controversial style keeps people watching to see what's next.

This is a toned down Don Cherry look.

something i personally admire him for is his support for the troops. since the war, don has consistently recognized fallen canadian soldiers killed in the war on terrorism. tonight as the wings took on the leafs, it was no different.

in addition to the hockey hall of fame game, canada as well as the u.s. is remembering veterans day. 3 former wings; hull, robitaille and captian cup, stevie y were recognized in a special pregame introduction of this year's inductees. at the first intermission, during coaches corner, cherry reminded the viewers who the true hall of famers were, as the CBC and cherry took an estimated 2 full minutes to show the names and faces of canada's recent war dead.

this is a national broadcast, and watching is as much a cultural norm as placing ones hand over their heart during the nation anthem, fireworks on the 4th, and the evening news with walter kronkite used to be here in the states. think of the last time an american "co-anchor" on a major weekly broadcast did this. take your time, i'll give you all you want. can't come up with an example can you?

neither could i. don isn't one dimensional either. he regularly recognizes cops and firefighters killed in the line of duty, and kids who succumb to disease. and there is true emotion on display when he does this.

in a country that takes special measures to remember and celebrate her war veterans, cherry stands apart in my mind.





as an american of canadian lineage, i could not be prouder of the example you set. god bless you grapes.

p.s. 1/14/10 this is getting lots of traffic from north of the border. someone please leave me a note why. i figure grapes did something recently, but can't figure it out. thanks for stopping by.