Don Cherry knows a thing or two about Game 7 drama.
So, as the New York Rangers and Tampa Bay Lightning battled at Madison Square Garden Friday with a trip to the Stanley Cup final on the line — one day before the Anaheim Ducks and Chicago Blackhawks do the same thing in California — Cherry took time to reflect on his defining moment.
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In 1979, Cherry’s Boston Bruins were minutes away from facing the Rangers for the Stanley Cup when he was charged with the most infamous too many men on the ice penalty in NHL history.
The Montreal Canadiens, led by Guy Lafleur, used the man advantage to their full advantage and stormed back to tie the game and beat Cherry’s group in overtime. Danny Gallivan and Dick Irvin, Jr. had the call.
“The heartbreaking thing about this and I’ve said it many times. Both of us owned the New York Rangers and they were waiting. That was the Stanley Cup right there,” Cherry said on Coach’s Corner on Hockey Night in Canada. “Tough to take, but that’s why I’m on television and that’s why I’m sensational on here too.”
