Puck Talk

Puck Talk

Beginning next issue this space will finally, FINALLY, have some actual regular season NHL games to discuss. In the meantime, as we count down the final few days until they drop the puck on opening night, Puck Talk presents a compilation of our best Don Cherry quotes of the week. Enjoy the wisdom from the man they call Grapes and enjoy the games this week.

"It was easy for the Commies to hide. They just put their boats in the corner of the harbor, because everyone knows Swedes don’t go into corners."

-Grapes talking about the Russians moving submarines into Stockholm many years ago.

-“All I gotta say…I’m not going through it again…all the time I say it…the greatest ever…46 goals, 89 assists, +128. Nobody’s ever done it before and nobody will ever do it again. Plus, hit and fought.”

-Grapes on Bobby Orr

-“Another time he was crosschecked in the back of the neck by a Washington player and suffered whiplash. The blow was so severe that Orr couldn’t hold his head and when he came off the ice at the end of the second period, he had to lie down. When the buzzer signaled the players back onto the ice, a couple of guys had to lift up Bobby’s head and body at the same time. He insisted on taking the ice for the next period. “Bobby,” I said, “we’ve got the game won. Take it easy; there’s no problem at all with these guys.” But he wouldn’t take it easy. He went out and played; how, I don’t know. But to this day, if you see Bobby Orr in the street and you’re behind him and call his name, he won’t just twist his neck around, he’ll have to turn his whole body-all because of the whiplash suffered that night against the Caps. (I know, by now you are thinking, “Can this guy really be this great? And is this guy Cherry in love with Orr or what? My answer to the former question is yes and my answer to the latter question is…yes.)

-More on Grapes love for Orr

-“I remember taking a look at him and saying ‘Anyone who perms his hair has got to go.’ So we sent him to Fort Worth.”

-Grapes talking about Don Saleski, a guy he coached in Colorado.

-“Listen, I like the kid. I see the way he plays and everything. But I’ve seen him now after goals; he slides on the ice, on his knees. And we’ve got something here. You talk about hot-dogging. I think it was 5-0. Yeah, it was 5-0. And Quebec Ramparts are gonna remember this one. Now watch what he does here. This is a hot dog move….Quebec is gonna remember that. The next time they play this kid they’ll be after him. He’s gonna get hurt. They’re gonna grab the mustard and put it all over him.”

-Grapes on Sidney Crosby

-"If you're talking about a hockey player, I don't talk about the guys that just score goals or points. I call them DH's like in baseball, the DH just hits. These guys just do one thing. You want the guy that blocks shots, hits, scores and does everything. Well, Joe Thornton is now the best player in the world, no doubt about that. He's like a Cam Neely. He does everything. You come up to Canada and you'll see that he's huge with the fans there. Even the players will tell you that. That Joe is the best right now. The other guys are just DH's."

-"How can it work when the two most popular things in town are jogging and helping your divorced friends move?”

-Grapes explaining why hockey isn’t successful in Los Angeles.

-"San Jose. I have watched them. I stay up….well, I’ve had a few pops by then…but I’ll tell you something. They lost last night but this team plays one-hundred percent….They’re playing dynamite hockey and nobody even knows they’re alive.”

-Grapes on the San Jose Sharks

-"It’s a clean hit but it has to be addressed immediately. You don’t just go and push a guy. You drop ‘em. Right away. You drop the gloves and cork him.”

-Grapes on the proper response to big hit on a superstar.

-“Now in Philly, you know what happened, Havlet got Recchi. This is what happened if you missed it. Let’s see what happens here. A little skirmish happened in Philadelphia. And the strangest thing is, in this whole thing, poor Rob Ray just got back and he had to take on Brashear. And did you hear what Brashear said when they asked him, ‘Did you see it coming?’ He said, ‘See it coming? I started it.’”

-Don and his co-host Ron McLean discussing the merits of Toronto going on a preseason tour of Europe:

Don: There’s never been a team go overseas that has ever come back and played well.
Ron: Oh, just a second now. When they (Toronto) won the 10 in a row didn’t they come back from London?
Don: No way! Ten in a row? What are you nuts?
Ron: Toronto. To start the season in ’94.
Don: I said Europe. They came back from England…. we don’t count England as Europe. Please. Smarten up!

-“OK. Coach of the year. Look folks, I like Andy Murray and I like Torterrini or Tortellelloar whatever his name is. I like him. He does a good job too, don’t get me wrong. But nobody mentions Mike Sullivan. 95 points and he’s a rookie? Unbelievable. And nobody mentions him.

-“Wait a minute. Let me say something. We’re talking coach of the year here. Tortorella goes public and criticizes his goalie Nah-bee-hoo-lin. (Grapes butchering Nikolai Khabibulin’s name) Right? Is that it? Something like that. I’m not being smart. I can’t pronounce it. Ah, I don’t care. Write what you want.”

-“Visors? Don’t like ‘em. Most of the guys that wear them are European or French.”

-“When I said my prayers as a kid, I'd tell the Lord I wanted to be a pro hockey player. Unfortunately, I forgot to mention National Hockey League, so I spent sixteen years in the minors.”

Questions? Comments? Please send feedback to Michael James at feedback@barstoolsports.com