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Writer's pictureGabriel Alix

A case for the Hall: Don Cherry and Sergei Gonchar


In this picture, Don Cherry is coaching Team Cherry at one of the prospect games held by the CHL every year. He was invited to coach Team Cherry.
Don Cherry (middle) coaching a CHL All-Star game. Inage Credits: Andrew Vaughan



I can't deny I've been very critical of the HHOF over the last while ever since they announced their inductees, and it's not just because in 2022 I was spoiled with 3 Canucks legends getting in. Rather, I've been critical of them for who they've denied, over and over again. Alex Mogilny was an obvious example, but I have a Player and a Builder in mind. I have long ago made up my mind about Don Cherry being a deserving member, and only recently did I discover that Sergei Gonchar has yet to be inducted, as I believed him to be part of the Class of 2018.


In this picture, Sergei Gonchar is celebrating a Stanley Cup victory with the Penguins in 2009 after winning Game 7 in Detroit.
Gonchar won the Stanley Cup as a member of the 2009 Pittsburgh Penguins. Image Credits: Gregory Shamus

He started out as a Washington Capital and he played there for 10 seasons as their best defenseman. In his 10 seasons as a Capital, 7 times he had 10 goals or more, which was a team record until last year, when John Carlson had his 8th 10-goal season as a Capital. He was the first Russian defenseman to score 20 goals, something he did 2 times in his career. After finishing the 2003-04 season in Boston upon being traded by Washington, he signed as a free agent in Pittsburgh, where he became an instrumental piece on a rebuilding Penguins team that was seeing new young talent like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. After they finished 2nd last in 2005-06, he scored 67 points and led the Penguins to a 47 point improvement the following season. He followed that up by leading them to the Finals in 2007-08, where they lost to the Red Wings, and played through an injury to lead them on a revenge tour in 2008-09, where they dethroned the Red Wings in the Finals. In 2010 he left to join the Ottawa Senators, and it was no coincidence that Pittsburgh got noticeably worse after he left. After 3 season in Ottawa, he played one year in Dallas, before retiring in Montreal. After winning back-to-back Cups in Pittsburgh in 2016 and 2017, he was let go by the Penguins, and has been a Defensive Development Coach with the Vancouver Canucks. In the 2000s, he led all defensemen in goals, with 137, was 2nd in assists with 378, and 2nd in points with 515. Overall, his 220 goals and 811 points are the most of any Russian defenseman in the NHL, and I think he will get his fair shake soon for a Hall nomination.


I did not mention Ron MacLean in this article because I didn't want to string his name along with Don Cherry's legacy. I believe that man is a weasel for selling out his best friend like that and betraying him by making Don Cherry's exit as disgraceful as public perception allowed it to be. I met him in 2019 and though he seemed nice enough, any chance of me liking him disappeared when he betrayed Don like that.



Don Cherry is looking sharp, as usual, dressed in a familiar favorite of his: Bright colored floral patterned suit jackets and a good pair of sunglasses.
Image Credits: https://katia-lexx.livejournal.com/809760.html


I can't say enough times that Don Cherry deserves to be a member of the HHOF, because he has been involved in the game for over 70 years. He won a Memorial Cup in junior hockey, playing as a Barrie Flyer, and then won 4 Calder Cups in the AHL, before moving on to become a coach. He became coach of the last place Rochester Americans in 1971, and by the end of the 1973-74 season, they were a 1st place team before losing in the first round. Regardless, that was enough for Cherry to earn Coach of the Year, and a promotion to the Boston Bruins. He played one game for them, before being a career minor-leaguer, and had moved around 53 times as a player, so he had paid his dues. Despite losing Bobby Orr in 1975 to knee injuries, he took the Bruins to 4 straight Adams Division titles, winning the Jack Adams Award as Coach of the Year in 1976. He also took the Bruins to the Stanley Cup Finals in back-to-back seasons, losing both times to the Montreal Canadiens. He also set a record by having eleven 20-goal scorers in 1977-78, a record that had not been matched before and has not been matched since. After a season in Colorado coaching the Rockies (they eventually became the New Jersey Devils), he was fired, and it was his last season as a coach. His broadcasting career, however, spanned over 30 years, and his show Coach's Corner was the most popular intermission show in all the sports. His flamboyance, and his outlandish suits were nothing like anyone had seen in hockey before, and people never took breaks during the 1st intermission, because Don Cherry was on. As an entertainer, he could make you laugh, he could make you cry, he could make you angry, but as long as you were passionate about the show, that's all that mattered, as everyone thought something of him. Over the years, as his popularity grew, so too did the game, because he brought so many new fans to the game by introducing it in a fun and simple matter on his show. He also used his platform to elevate the common Canadian, such as always giving a shout-out to veterans, or kids in local minor hockey, and he was always a champion for any Canadian he noticed doing good in their community. He went as far to show his support for the military by visiting a war zone in Afghanistan and signing a cardboard cut-out of himself for everyone. Behind his gruff, old-school hockey style was a kind heart that always gave back to his fans, as he always signed autographs for fans, he has raised millions of dollars for rescue shelters for animals, and created the Don Cherry Pet Rescue Foundation. He has contributed immensely to a positive image for the NHL and for hockey itself with his work, both inside and outside of the booth, and the Builder category clearly defines itself as: Coaching, managerial, or executive ability, or ability in another significant off-ice role, sportsmanship, character, and contributions to his or her organization or organizations and to the game of hockey in general. He has demonstrated excellent coaching ability, tremendous ability in the broadcasting booth, and his sportsmanship and character were always on display every show, and he contributed immensely to the CBC remaining alive and being renowned for its promotion of Canadian content, and he contributed greatly to both the NHL's brand and to its image by being good to the fans. He fits the definition for being inducted as a Builder perfectly, and I will be in Toronto when he gets the call, because he inspired me to pursue a career in sports media, and he will always be an inspiration to many Canadians and to the hockey world.

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Jul 30
Rated 5 out of 5 stars.

Fire🦾🦾

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