This starts off normal enough with Don plugging Thomas about what a character player he is and that Washington has as many injuries this year as they did 20 years ago. Then Ron gets on to how Don missed the start of the show!
Don goes into his excuse and I can only guess that the cameraman starts laughing and must totally lose it as they keep commenting on him. Don seems a little pissed and moves right on to those on-screen graphics - specifically clocks / timers (I think) - Ron looks totally surprised as Don says that these should be shown during breaks not during play. Good point! I read that stations such as Global and ONTV are showing the graphic less - but it is an attempt to make the channel surfer tune in longer to see the game (wait for the score) not for the good of the viewer. I'd love to see the NHL pass some sort of ruling that only allows the graphics (including those bottom scoreboards TSN always shows) show only during when the play is dead. I'd love it, Don would love it, so would most Canadian hockey fans love it. But the NHL wants to sell the game, putting TV restrictions on hot U.S. marketing ideas is not the plan of the NHL (too bad). Don talks about how they once announced the three stars 1, 2, 3 and how he went to the honchos and said it should be done 3, 2, 1.... like Miss America. Good segment if you could figure out what Don was talking about :)
Don plugs the fact that Canada won the Spengler Cup - I knew this earlier in the week and was itching to see if Don would say something and of course he came through (as he always does) and mentioned it.
The segment on the Rhodes goal - Rhodes didn't directly score but he was the last Senator to touch the puck on a delayed penalty and Odie of the Devils shot it into his own open net (Had him beat all the way Lyle). Now if you can't grasp what I'm saying....the goalie leaving the net on a delayed penalty and a guy scoring on his own net, then maybe you shouldn't be reading this. :) They showed footage of Ramage scoring on his own net, I'm not sure if he did it on a delayed call or with the goalie out late in a game with the extra attacker. Either way, good footage, I've seen it before but it was worth seeing again (Billy Smith got credit for that goal - Isles vs. Rockies!!!).
They attempt a tribute to Keith Primeau - they show one clip, a good clip, but it falls short. If they had 30 more seconds this could have been great. They screwed up his tribute. Flat out - they screwed this up! Booo.
Now, on to a hit from behind from Phoenix's Dallas Drake on LA's Doug Bodger. Don heavily criticizes Bodger for being (setting himself up....in a way) three feet from the boards and Drake hammers him. This was a very aggressive game and it was obvious that Drake wanted revenge on Bodger who had previously put Roenick (I think) out with a hit. I'll even agree with Cherry that they should have given Bodger 2 minutes for being stupid - staying 3 feet against the boards, he knew the hit was coming - he should have got tight to the boards. However I totally disagree with Don that "4 games is enough, Bodger knew it was coming...." Bull! If Drake's name had been spelled D-O-M-I or -O-D-J-I-C-K. it would have been harsher. I understand Drake's frustration but this is the most dangerous play in hockey. I agree with Ron who said that "Collie would sweat over this...." basically the point being that concussions and broken bones are one thing but hitting from behind can be deadly or paralysing. In previous weeks Don has done a lot of good work by speaking out against hitting from behind but all that work evaporated on his "Four games is enough....." comment. I'm really disappointed in this call...especially compared to others this should have been at least 10 games. Time was really stressed during this segment and maybe Don didn't say what he wanted to but he let me down in this segment. He had a chance to say hitting from behind under any circumstance is bad and deserves a harsh punishment no matter what your name is. Instead he basically said that nailing Bodger was okay because he was stupid enough to put himself in that position and that Drake is a first liner and four games is okay for that behaviour - whether Don realizes it or not. Anyway, I'll get major opposition for this commentary....at least I expect. But I've always said that a concussion, or damaged eye is career-ending but of these days the NHL will get a really bad wrap if a guy gets paralysed or killed on a hit from behind. I thought.......I was sure that Don Cherry agreed with me on that....until this CC. I don't care if Gretzky had committed this hit in revenge it deserved a 10 game suspension. What if the exact same hit took place in Toronto......say Cummins on Sundin - 4 games? I doubt it.
This CC got me laughing at the start with all the antics of the camera man and furious at the end with the hit from behind. I'll give it an 8 out of 10. Another 30 seconds to do a proper Primeau tribute it may have got a 10 out of 10. I'm still upset at that 4 game suspension....whew.....anyway, expect a good CC next week as Don is sure to plug Canadian Junior Hockey Silver. It should be good, I hope Don mentions how good the Manitoba fans were, they are awesome! They should have never lost the Jets (another thing I'm still upset about). Anyway, enough said for this week.
Sorry if this is a little late....this week it is my fault as this CC took extra time to do (had to watch that hit from behind over and over) and was busy watching hockey.
E-mail Comments:spapp@ptbo.igs.net
Kevin
E-mail Comments:kevin.messervey@sympatico.ca