It’s Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final, the NHL Scouting Combine is behind us and some of the top prospects are in Nashville to watch the game and meet some of the biggest stars they’ll be competing against as soon as next season.
It’s Don Cherry’s favourite time of year and it’s become something of a tradition when he gets to meet the players of the future.
Nolan Patrick, Nico Hischier, Casey Middlestadt and Gabriel Vilardi, all of whom could go in the top five of the NHL Draft later this month, joined Cherry on Monday’s Coach’s Corner and were asked to share their favourite cars and musical acts.
Hischier and Middlestadt both said they were partial to the Range Rover, while Patrick went with the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen. Vilardi went all out, though, saying his favourite was the Ferrari, which seemed to impress Cherry.
“Ya you’ll be making it too when you’re making the money,” Cherry said to Vilardi.
And since they were in Nashville, music naturally became a talking point. Cherry asked each player for his favourite band — Hischier didn’t really have a favourite, while Middlestadt (Kenny Chesney) and Vilardi both went with country music picks.
Patrick’s answer was truly Canadian.
“I’m all over the map with the music, but I think my favourite artist would be Neil Young,” he said.
Cherry also addressed the P.K. Subban–Sidney Crosby “Listerine Row” that came up after Game 3. When Subban was asked about the trash talk that went on between him and Crosby, he joked that Crosby made fun of his bad breath.
“I used some Listerine before the game, so I don’t know what he’s talking about,” Subban said — and he played up the joke by entering the arena prior to Game 3 with a bag of the breath-freshener.
Cherry took exception to this little game, questioning the wisdom behind poking Crosby, who hadn’t yet scored in the Stanley Cup Final before converting the equalizer in the first period of Game 4.
“I don’t understand Subban with the Listerine. Why give Crosby more motivation?” Cherry said. “You’re not going to scare this guy. All you do is get him pumped up.
“What you have to do is leave guys like him alone. He motivates himself. He went for two days it was in the news…I think a lot about Subban. I think he’s playing the best ever, but to get Crosby going?
“You’re not going to scare this guy, he’s the best hockey player in the world. Why get the greatest hockey player in the world pumped? Doesn’t make any sense.”
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