The Coach’s Corner segment was particularly apt Saturday as Don talked about the trend of superstars fighting their own fights.
Not only did Jacob Trouba fight in the Jets-Capitals game earlier in the day, but Nazem Kadri and David Backes dropped the gloves 19 seconds into the second period of the Leafs-Blues game.
“This is what gets me all the time,” Cherry said of stars fighting their own battles. “The point I’m trying to make here is [now] it’s all topsy turvy. You never saw Gretzky or Brett Hull fight. The stars are fighting because they can’t be protected. The players like [fighting], the fans like it. Unfortunately now, the stars are fighting which is ridiculous to me.”
While Cherry explained his feeling on the subject, he showed Claude Giroux, Jonathan Toews, Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby and Corey Perry getting into fisticuffs.
Ron MacLean added that Philadelphia Flyers owner Ed Snider is upset that his club doesn’t have someone to fight for their stars. Wayne Gretzky, who lives near Snider in California, told him that old-school hockey doesn’t fly today.
“You might say it’s old school hockey but you don’t want Crosby (fighting),” Cherry said. “All those stars could break their hands — McDavid did it before.”
Connor McDavid of course broke his hand in an OHL fight last season and missed significant time.
Cherry also gave time to Daniel Carr‘s first NHL goal, scored tonight for the Montreal Canadiens in the game against the Carolina Hurricanes. It was Carr’s first shift, first shot, and first NHL game.
“What a thrill that must be,” said Cherry.
Elsewhere in the NHL, the Jets-Capitals game was held up for several minutes at the end of overtime when Caps coach Barry Trotz challenged the winning goal on the basis that it was offside. The play was difficult for the linesmen to see in review but the goal was upheld and the Jets won.
“If I was a linesman, I would call anything close offside because you can’t get in trouble once you call an offside,” Cherry said.
Finally, Don featured Columbus Blue Jackets forward Boone Jenner who leads his club in both hits and goals. Eight of his goals have come when the game has been tied, Cherry noted.
“My type of guy, Boone Jenner.”
