Don Cherry blasts Ovechkin on HNIC

[calishark28 0]

Just finished watching the ranting during the second intermission of the Flyers and Pens game. Man these guys really want people to be boring and cut all the celebrating out. I think it's fine and adds the fun factor to the game. Seriously the guy is a beast when it comes to scoring goals and he nets 50 again, let him celebrate however he wants, they told him to grow up and stop...why?

[Slapshot25 0]

The more I have seen this celerbration the more I wish someone with backbone on Tampa would have knocked him out.

Who on tampa would knock him out with a CLEAN hit?

[calishark28 0]

Stamkos...

[sabres48 0]

and gained the NHL more fans and viewer than any other player (I would argue more so than Gretzky), but it wouldnt be hard to imagine.

Not even close, there wouldn't be hockey in some parts on the US without 99, so nice try, the league isn't thinking expansion because of Ovie.

The more I have seen this celerbration the more I wish someone with backbone on Tampa would have knocked him out. This idea that the league needs this type of hype to generate fans for lack of a better word, is dumb. If you are defending this, then you must not have class either. Watch Iggy score his 50th last year, tap on the head to the guys, go to the bench, pure class. I used to love Ovie, now I hope he gets nailed each shift.

The league will continue to do well in hockey markets were fans can appreciate the talent on the ice, not the creativity of celebration, and if fringe fans in the US need some type of celebration hype, for teams to bring in fans and stay alive, then I hope the teams fail soon after and my dream of contraction will one day come true. (which I don't think they do),

Why are people so concerened with the NHL getting hype nationally, hockey will always be a regional market and in most markets they are and will always be strong. Who cares if the NHL is on Sportscentre because of some stupid celebration.

Obviously you are one of the Canadian supremecists, much like Cherry. It is people like you that give Canada the reputation that Canadians are full of themselves, and think their way is the only way. People do appreciate his talent and get excited with him. If ovechkin went straight to the bench after each goal he would be half as talked about, and probably half as credited as he is. Now does this mean that half the reason he is good is becasue of his enthusiasm? Far from it but as i said before and will still defend HE PLAYS WITH MORE FIRE THAN ANYOTHER SINGLE PLAYER. Bottom line. And people are concerned with spreading hockey because its a great sport, and it deserves more airtime, and more respect than it gets.

And as for your opeing remark, think modern day, OVIE is to kids of today what Gretzkey was to kids of his time. You may be stubborn, but give the guy his credit, whether you like how he celebrates or not.

[Leafsrule16 5]

and gained the NHL more fans and viewer than any other player (I would argue more so than Gretzky), but it wouldnt be hard to imagine.

Not even close, there wouldn't be hockey in some parts on the US without 99, so nice try, the league isn't thinking expansion because of Ovie.

The more I have seen this celerbration the more I wish someone with backbone on Tampa would have knocked him out. This idea that the league needs this type of hype to generate fans for lack of a better word, is dumb. If you are defending this, then you must not have class either. Watch Iggy score his 50th last year, tap on the head to the guys, go to the bench, pure class. I used to love Ovie, now I hope he gets nailed each shift.

The league will continue to do well in hockey markets were fans can appreciate the talent on the ice, not the creativity of celebration, and if fringe fans in the US need some type of celebration hype, for teams to bring in fans and stay alive, then I hope the teams fail soon after and my dream of contraction will one day come true. (which I don't think they do),

Why are people so concerened with the NHL getting hype nationally, hockey will always be a regional market and in most markets they are and will always be strong. Who cares if the NHL is on Sportscentre because of some stupid celebration.

Obviously you are one of the Canadian supremacists, much like Cherry. It is people like you that give Canada the reputation that Canadians are full of themselves, and think their way is the only way. People do appreciate his talent and get excited with him. If ovechkin went straight to the bench after each goal he would be half as talked about, and probably half as credited as he is. Now does this mean that half the reason he is good is becasue of his enthusiasm? Far from it but as i said before and will still defend HE PLAYS WITH MORE FIRE THAN ANYOTHER SINGLE PLAYER. Bottom line. And people are concerned with spreading hockey because its a great sport, and it deserves more airtime, and more respect than it gets.

And as for your opeing remark, think modern day, OVIE is to kids of today what Gretzkey was to kids of his time. You may be stubborn, but give the guy his credit, whether you like how he celebrates or not.

I kind of disagree/agree with both of you, Ovechkin is a great player for sure. I love to see the fact that he has a strong passion for the game but on the other hand i think sometimes he takes it too far. The stick on fire celebration was one of those times. Like, sure its nice to score 50 goals but look at it from Tampa's eyes; Your having a pretty poor season, you made a mistake and this Russian guy scored an average goal, now hes showboating and making it look like he won the Stanley cup. If i ever scored on your team and did that i wouldn't be surprised if you skates down and took a swing at me. All throughout minor hockey we had strong teams and were taught not to showboat when you score. I could see a big celebration if someone like Boogaard scored a goal, but Ovechkin already has 50, its not a big deal.

I don't attribute it to a dislike of Russians like Cherry however, or put the blame on Ovechkin. The guy is simply fun to watch, there's just times where sometimes he takes his celebrations a little too far and he needs to work on that. I think instead of fighting, we should all get together and express our enjoyment to think that were watching what is likely a future hall of famer with a great passion for the game enjoying what he does. Not something we see every day. Just my $0.2..

[interpathway 9]

I loved Cherry's assessment of Alex's last celebration.

This Ovechkin guy, what, Alex is his first name?

:lol:.

That even got a laugh out of me.

[sitzlejd 0]

Here's the latest Coach's Corner link. I actually thought Cherry made his point very well here.

Plus, as outlandish as he can be at times, when his voice cracks talking about the fallen soldiers you have to respect him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgtuHzwZtSM

[Larry54 243]

BTW, where are you from, sabres48? Russia? Québec? Just wondering.

[TomMc#4 0]

I loved Cherry's assessment of Alex's last celebration.

This Ovechkin guy, what, Alex is his first name?

:lol:.

That even got a laugh out of me.

That is awesomely funny because he just looks plain stupid pretending like he hasn't notice Ovechkin in the last 4 years lol

i like don cherry a lot of the time, but sometimes he just needs to think before he speaks

[ebladeshockey8 0]

i think don cherry is an idiot, he needs to stop being mad at good hockey players just because he only played one game in the nhl...hockey isnt canadas sport anymore, and he hates the fact that it isnt...he always feels a need to lash out at the european and french canadian players for no reason...he needs to learn some respect

[psh 25]

I finally saw tape of OV's celebration this weekend. It was half the celebration I thought it would be based on all the writing I've read and talking I've heard about it. Does the whole thing last more than 3 seconds? And it didn't appear to be directed at the Tampa bench. He's behind the net looking from his stick to his own bench as far as I could tell. Didn't seem to harbor any ill intent toward Tampa. I have no problem with this at all. Now, if OV continued down the path of celebrating himself and not being a team guy or a hockey guy, that would bother me, but I've never seen any sign of that. This guy loves to win and obviously loves a goal by Green or Semin or any one of the pluggers as much as he loves his own goals. And after a win, he's the first off the bench to celebrate with the team. The comparisons to TO et al. seem to be widely off the mark based on the evidence.

I'm glad Cherry toned down his criticism this weekend. Toning down the rhetoric and dropping the comments about seeing Ovechkin "broken in half" lend his comments at least a shred of credibility. Now if only the Coach's Corner opening bit would drop the footage of Cherry jumping up onto the boards, wildly gesturing to the crowd and desparately seeking the glory of the Garden spotlight...

Tochet's statements about Ovechkin's celebration are even more hilarious that Cherry's. "He dropped down a notch in my eyes..." Who are you kidding Rick? If anybody has brought ill repute upon the league it is you. You forced the league to disassociate itself from you for 2 years. You drew the attention of the local and federal authorities to your little gambling circle. Hell, you nearly dragged #99 into your mess. Has anybody done more to harm the league in the post lock out era than Tochet? Perhaps, but it's hard to think of that someone off the top of my head. Zip it up buddy. You have no right to comment on the league and dignity.

[mrusse01 0]

It is people like you that give Canada the reputation that Canadians are full of themselves, and think their way is the only way.

CANADIANS have that reputation????

Hahaha, ok pal. I guess that's why US backpackers around the world sew Canadian flags on their gear, so you know, everybody associates them with being full of themselves and close-minded. That's what Canadians are known for alright, our way or the highway.

Ovechkin is a great player, Cherry even said he's the best player in the world, but this particular celebration was stupid and over the line. If you asked Alex that yourself, I bet he would probably agree and admit that he regrets doing it.

Everybody makes mistakes, I'm not going to hold it against him for the rest of his career, but I think anybody that is defending dancing around your stick like it is on fire as being 'ok', well you've got to take a look in the mirror and grow up or something because that's not hockey, and it never will be.

His own coach came out and said it was stupid, his teammates obviously were embarassed by it, the whole thing was just a dumb idea.

[Allsmokenopancake 0]

Perhaps we should let this die now, before it turns in to a Canadian v French Canadian/Euro thing.

People who were defending Ovechkin (myself included), said that the 50 goal celebration was stupid, and the pre-meditated stuff has no place here.

I'll still defend his glass jumping etc, because that seems born from passion and excitement.

Lets just leave it as is now without getting into a crazy "my heritage is better than yours"

Because we all know I'd win :)

[mrusse01 0]

Perhaps we should let this die now, before it turns in to a Canadian v French Canadian/Euro thing.

People who were defending Ovechkin (myself included), said that the 50 goal celebration was stupid, and the pre-meditated stuff has no place here.

I'll still defend his glass jumping etc, because that seems born from passion and excitement.

Lets just leave it as is now without getting into a crazy "my heritage is better than yours"

Because we all know I'd win :)

I'll agree with that. The glass jumping and stuff isn't exactly my cup of tea, but it is certainly a defensible position to say it's exciting and is a result of his passion for the game.

The only reason I brought the heritage thing into it is because it is truly a ridiculous claim to suggest Canadians are known world wide for being full of themselves and uncompromising when it comes to differing viewpoints. If anything, Canada typically has the reptuation exactly the opposite, which is that our country is somewhat meek and too willing to 'get along' with just about anybody. Maybe we are a bit arrogant when it comes to the hockey world, but hey, we've earned it. ;)

[ktang 34]

It is people like you that give Canada the reputation that Canadians are full of themselves, and think their way is the only way.

CANADIANS have that reputation????

Hahaha, ok pal. I guess that's why US backpackers around the world sew Canadian flags on their gear, so you know, everybody associates them with being full of themselves and close-minded. That's what Canadians are known for alright, our way or the highway.

Ovechkin is a great player, Cherry even said he's the best player in the world, but this particular celebration was stupid and over the line. If you asked Alex that yourself, I bet he would probably agree and admit that he regrets doing it.

Everybody makes mistakes, I'm not going to hold it against him for the rest of his career, but I think anybody that is defending dancing around your stick like it is on fire as being 'ok', well you've got to take a look in the mirror and grow up or something because that's not hockey, and it never will be.

His own coach came out and said it was stupid, his teammates obviously were embarassed by it, the whole thing was just a dumb idea.

I think Canadians have had an identity crisis, which is why Don Cherry, Farley Mowat, Margaret Atwood, etc. have been annointed by the intellectuals to define what being Canadian is. So you always see Don Cherry talking about how he wants the Canadian kids growing up to act and play.

But why were these people chosen to define our identity? And is everything they say correct? Is it a case of beggars can't be choosers?

[chippa13 1844]

Perhaps we should let this die now, before it turns in to a Canadian v French Canadian/Euro thing.

People who were defending Ovechkin (myself included), said that the 50 goal celebration was stupid, and the pre-meditated stuff has no place here.

I'll still defend his glass jumping etc, because that seems born from passion and excitement.

Lets just leave it as is now without getting into a crazy "my heritage is better than yours"

Because we all know I'd win :)

I'll agree with that. The glass jumping and stuff isn't exactly my cup of tea, but it is certainly a defensible position to say it's exciting and is a result of his passion for the game.

The only reason I brought the heritage thing into it is because it is truly a ridiculous claim to suggest Canadians are known world wide for being full of themselves and uncompromising when it comes to differing viewpoints. If anything, Canada typically has the reptuation exactly the opposite, which is that our country is somewhat meek and too willing to 'get along' with just about anybody. Maybe we are a bit arrogant when it comes to the hockey world, but hey, we've earned it. ;)

When talking about things non-hockey, Canada is like a sports journalist, it doesn't get in the game but has no problem telling you what you did wrong in it. When it comes to hockey, there is this attitude that Canada is the be all end all of the sport. However, the world is catching up with Canada, much the same way that the world caught up with the States in baseball (and perhaps overtook). Canada will always be a top country when it comes to hockey, there is no doubting that but the playing field is getting more and more level every day.

[interpathway 9]

Hockey still is Canada's sport, even if the best player in the NHL currently isn't from there. Hockey can belong to many countries, but I doubt Canada's rabid affection for it will ever be matched.

[Habs21 0]

I think it might be a good idea to end this conversation now...there's really no need to make this a Canada vs USA vs Russia vs Mongolia vs whoever else.

I love Ovie's celebrations but this one was a bit ridiculous. I guess we should give him a break because it was his 50th but...hopefully that was the last time we'll see that.

There, we all agree (almost) ...and....CUT.

[RiSeOnFiRe 0]

A good article on the topic.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/blog/puck_dadd...?urn=nhl,149654

[chippa13 1844]

Hockey still is Canada's sport, even if the best player in the NHL currently isn't from there. Hockey can belong to many countries, but I doubt Canada's rabid affection for it will ever be matched.

Probably true on that, though I hear some Euro stadiums are filled with some rabid fans where the atmosphere is comparable to football (soccer) stadiums. I think if Minnesota were its own country it would give Canada a run for its money as far as hockey fervor is concerned.

[phunky_monkey 6]

My issue is mostly this, as taken from the article posted above:

he was self-promoting

It's one thing I don't like about soccer, and I don't much like it in hockey.

[KryptOng 9]

What's next?

Push-ups in the corner?

[RiSeOnFiRe 0]

When you hit 50 or 60 (Thanks to OV 60 is actually thrown into conversations nowadays) everyone else celebrates your personal accomplishment for a day, and then its back to being all about the team. Why cant he celebrate his own achievement with everyone else? He's never pulled anything like that for a random goal, so relax people. You all think its going to be an everyday thing now. Its not. The guy sat on 49 goals for i think at least 2 days. OV is a creative kid in every aspect, so he thought something up. He wont do it for his 51st nor his 52nd. Chill out.

[Chadd 916]

I threw a kid in the box for doing that in a summer league game a few years ago. It made it a 8 goal game with a couple minutes in the third period and he did it right in front of the goalie.

[mrusse01 0]

I threw a kid in the box for doing that in a summer league game a few years ago. It made it a 8 goal game with a couple minutes in the third period and he did it right in front of the goalie.

Good call.

Anywhere I've ever played, you'd be lucky to leave with your front teeth if you tried something like that in an 8 goal game.