Don Cherry rips Russian World Championship team leaving ice during O Canada (Video)
Hockey commentator Don Cherry is known for his rants against European hockey players. Some of which happen to play in a country called Russia, or in countries that used to be part of something called the Soviet Union.
Did he take this level of Xenophobia to a new level Monday on Coach’s Corner?
This is in response to the Russian hockey team’s decision to leave the ice and not listen to the Canadian national anthem after a 6-1 vanquishing by the Canadians in the ultra-(non) important World Championship gold medal game.
“No class, no honour, they left the national anthem,” Cherry said on his Coach’s Corner segment during the first intermission of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference final. “We were the ones that stayed there … we stood while they won, and they walked off the ice. They’ve got no class whatsoever.”
The Russians are facing international discipline for this event, where apparently NHL outcast Ilya Kovalchuk was supposedly the ringleader.
Of course, the one man who could sensibly talk about this event is the one they call ‘Grapes’ … and by sensibly we mean, do what he always does.
Look at his tie on close-up:
As they said in a major movie about bowling and other topics, “Sometimes, there’s a man, well, he’s the man for his time and place. He fits right in there.”
That man would be Cherry when it comes to these types of situations.
Would this be such a major deal if A. It was Sweden that left the ice? B. It was against anyone but Canada? C. If Sidney Crosby wasn’t playing for Canada?
What if Crosby was on Team Toews and beat Team Foligno in the 2015 NHL All-Star Game and Team Foligno left the ice before all sides could exchange postgame pleasantries? Oh wait …
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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper
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