Coach’s Corner: Kucherov injury was preventable

Don Cherry talks about the hockey being played by the Lightning and Blackhawks, but his real issue is that Blue Jays third baseman Josh Donaldson isn’t getting enough votes to start at the All-Star Game.

Tampa Bay Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov was forced to leave Game 5 after crashing into the Chicago Blackhawks net early in the first period and it’s an injury Don Cherry thinks could have been avoided.

Cherry said on Coach’s Corner Saturday that he believes the post was frozen into the ice and that’s why it didn’t budge when Kucherov crashed into it.

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“You know what bothers me when I see this is that it’s frozen in there,” Cherry said during Hockey Night in Canada.

It’s unclear at this point what Kucherov’s specific injury is and what the prognosis might be.

Early in the regular season, Cherry also spoke about how the NHL’s nets can put players in danger because they are more top-heavy than in previous years.

Prior to last season, the NHLPA and the league’s competition committee agreed on several new rule changes and one was regarding the size of the nets. The depth of NHL nets were reduced from 44 to 40 inches and the width was reduced from 96 to 88 inches at its widest point behind the goal line, which has resulted in the nets becoming slightly more top-heavy.


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