FiredUp Network
Thursday, July 18:Don Cherry's Grapevine Podcast
All right, let's go! (upbeat music) All right, all right, Tim, what are we gonna talk about? - Well, I'm gonna take some questions, Dad, from the social media. Cindy's not here today, so it's just you and I. So, this one is Leaves Bleed Blue. So, he means Leaf Fan. Says, "Hey, Coach, there's a rumor going around that the Leafs are going to take the cup and see off of John Chavares and give it to Matthews." - It was perfect, by the way. - Right, and give it to Matthews. Do you think this will happen if so is a good move or a bad move? - I think it'd be a bad move, I think. I really do believe this would be a bad move. - Yeah, like, that'd be kind of tough. Like, that's a real slap in the face of Chavares. - No slap in the face of the verse, and I don't think it'd ever happen. - Yeah, I don't think Barooby would let it happen. - Well, it'd be a bad mark on him, right off the bat. And he was the guy that, because if it does happen, it would be because of his, he gives you okay. - Yeah, and you said, when we were talking about earlier, you don't think Matthews would do that. - I don't think Matthews, I don't think Matthews would take the cup and see off of the verse. - I really don't, I really believe that, that's the way the kind of guy he is. - I don't understand why the media seems to like, really have a distaste for John Chavares. I mean, he plays like, he's what he is. Like, you know, you need to-- - But you know, Tim, the players with the same way, back in junior, yeah, he was the same way. I don't know what it is. - Yeah, I remember you were doing the prospect game. - And he got hurt his shoulder. - His shoulder. - And we had the paper the next day that I sent a guy to hurt him. - Yeah, yeah, but I will say this though, 'cause he was on the other team, he went in the corner and a big defense had hit him. And your bench, well-- - Yeah, they all cheered. - They all cheered. - Yeah, I never understood it. - I think the one thing with the kids what happened there was, he was the first one to ask to be in junior at 15 instead of 16. - Yeah, I don't know. - Check, tell that story what happened-- - With Logan Couture and John Taveras? - Yeah. - So you and I went out and watched Taveras when he was playing in 15 when he was with the Toronto Marley's, right? You remember him and he was ready for junior at that time. - Yeah, he was ready. - He was ready. - He was a big guy. - He was big and so what happened was, he asked to go into the draft at 15 and he had to get special permission from David Branch in the league. And they originally said no. And then what happened was, Logan Couture was supposed to go number one to Oshawa. And Oshawa says we're gonna take you number one. So what happens in like the OHL draft is that everybody knows they're taking Logan Couture no more-- - They're taking the word. - Right, keeping the word. So then the next team says to the guy, okay, we're gonna take you. And everybody knows who's gonna go second. And then the third team said, third team picking, they say, okay, we're gonna take you. So they, the first say three or four drafts in the OHL, the kids know they're being dropped and who they're being drafted by. So the night before they dropped the OHL, changed their mind and let Chevera sit. - 'Cause he was big enough. - 'Cause he was big enough and could have played and all that. - Order. - Logan Couture, we thought, well, okay, Logan Couture will go second. 'Cause he was by far, he was the head, he was the consensus number one pick. And he starts to fall because they say we're taking John Chevera's. So the second place team, this team has taken second, they stick to their word and take their next guy. And the third team picking, they stick to their word and take this guy. So they were being honorable, they didn't take to get it. So Logan Couture, he falls to, I think, six or seventh. And he goes to Ottawa with your buddy. - Brian Kilrich. - Right, who's the most winning coach ever in hockey and junior hockey. And he put more guys in the National Hockey League than anybody. - So we were in the OHL room and we're saying, man, that Logan Couture, he is so lucky. He went from Osho out, which was a bit of a gong show back then. And he goes, he gets to go to Brian Kilrich. He, man, he must be so happy, he's so lucky. So we call the, first round, we call the kids to say, congratulations, welcome to the OHL. So the older guy goes, I don't know, let me call. So the oldest scout calls and Logan Couture's dad just rips him a new one. And, you know, so our scout's going, well, you know, Mr. Couture, you got to look, you know, you got to, so now our scout's getting a little bit mad because he's really getting rips. And he goes, you're going to Ottawa. You're going to Brian Kilrich. He goes, you're going to Ottawa. So I, okay, well, and he says, well, he's never going to play in the OHL. And the father, he'll never play in the OHL and all that, he hangs up. And I remember the scout going, that guy should get on his knees and thank God that he's going to Brian Kilrich. - Yeah, Brian Kilrich. - Yeah. - But what'd Brian Kilrich say in there? - Oh, so it was, it was a call-in, right? Like they called in draft and Brian Kilrich goes, the Ottawa 67th put the seventh pick overall. I think it was our happy and rather surprised to be able to pick Logan Couture. So that was good. So you had a situation where you had Johnny Busek and Boston. - No, I, and Johnny Boots and I didn't get along. I remember, I remember he played the next mission game against us and I was still playing. And he played a long time. And I, I'm going to the box. I was going to the box and he, and he said, we heard you were a backstabber and everything like that. And I turned around and I stopped and turned around fast. Your back is not to me. And nothing happened. - Nothing happened. - Nothing happened. But anyhow. - So Busek got hurt and then, so who did you make captain? - I made Wayne Cashman. And he said, I remember New York. I phoned him in New York and, and he was in his room by himself. And cash, cash, I made you the captain. And he says, I don't want to be captain. I said, I don't care if you want to be or not. You're going to be the captain. And he was the captain. He was the best captain I ever had. - Yeah, I remember you told me that he was really good at, given the ref's hack. - Oh, he limon, he was picking stuff off his stick. But you know what? I remember I got picked captain in the Rochester. I got picked, I think, I think 18 out of 20. And I remember Joe Cozier coming out of the, out of the restroom in the back. All right, get this captain. He straighten out and he threw all of. And the next time it was 20 out of 20, I voted for him myself. - So when you were captain, like, what did, what was your main? - I remember in the bus, when in the bus, and we stopped. All right, everybody in at 11.30, and Cherry, I want to see you in my tweet. And, you know, and I was going up to get a hack. He'd never give me a hack. - No. - But he, he, he, he, let alone, he'd give me a hack. He was pretty good. The pretty, Joe, Joe Cozier was pretty good. - Was, yeah, you said punch though was the best coach. - Best coach I ever played for was a punch in black. And his smartest guy, of course, that Joe learned from him. - Okay, Dad, so we got the, our next question is from Knuckles, Co. I wonder if that's Knuckles and Ireland. No, I don't think so. - I'm not. - Grapes, did you see the video of Rempe? He's that big guy from the New York Rangers, working on his fighting skills with George Larock. And what do you think of that? - I don't think it's a good idea. And I'll tell you why I don't think it's a good idea. The National Hockey League let on, that everything is spontaneous. - You don't train to be a fighter. I don't think the National Hockey League would be too happy. - No, I think Rempe set himself up to be, if he hurt somebody, to be really suspended. - Yeah, that's not a good idea. - No, remember that, to tell that story about George Larock, but he was in Edmonton, and you and Ron were sitting up and he came up and sat with you guys. - But Ron and I used to go to the games and we'd go that morning and we'd sit away at the top. And Ron couldn't understand that. He'd be down there running around in the dressed room and all that. And I said, "Those guys think you're a floater." He said, "They think they like to the rest of the guys." Sit up way up up here with me and don't be running around in the dressed room and everything like that. So I remember George Larock come all the way up and he said, "Everybody loves to play against us." - He's with Edmonton at the time. - Yeah, he was with Edmonton at the time. It's George, don't you think it'd be better if everybody hated playing against you guys? Hmm, I never thought of that. Funny how you remember things like that. - Yeah. Dad, we'd like to thank our sponsor NorthStarBets.com. They're a probably Canadian brand and one of the best places to play in Canada. NorthStarBets.com has everything you're looking for. Sportsbook with built in betting, insight, analysis, slots, live dealer tables and exceptional customer service. So get into the action now at NorthStarBets.com at NorthStarBets.com, not available in Ontario. And everybody was betting on the soccer. You don't watch that soccer, do you? - I don't watch soccer. - No. - No. - I do not watch soccer when they fall down and it's like the television is against the soccer. They're sure it's not getting hurt. - Yeah, no, they fall around. Well, the one funny one was the guy, I forget, I forget, I forget, I think it was Argentina. The guy fell down and was rolling around like he blew out his knee and the guy never touched him. And then the guy kicked the ball to him and hit him in the back with the soccer ball. It just like, like not hard. And he started rolling around like he broke his back. So, but I gotta tell you, Dad, it's kind of getting into the finals, guys snapping their head back and touching their lips. - Oh, and hockey, hockey, hockey is starting to get, that stuff ended too. And they started looking for a little bit of blood in the tooth. - Yeah. - I remember we would never show we were hurt. - Yeah, like baseball. - Yeah, baseball, when they get hit with a ball, they won't touch that ball. And when they get first base after a while, oh boy. - You can see, yeah. Yeah, it was a big fight and a Yankee's in Baltimore the other day, guys were throwing up. He's the one guy through the ball, was over 90 miles an hour, right at the guy's head. And they throw pretty good. - Okay, Dad, our next question is from Broadway Blue 1994. So like 1994, I guess, I looked that up. That's the last time the New York Rangers won the Stanley Cup. It says, "Dad, Glenn Sather announced his retirement "from hockey this past week. "Do you have any stories of Glenn Sather?" - Well, we, we, we were sure wrote down. - He was born in High River, Alberta. I didn't, I forgot, he played 10 seasons in the National Hockey League. - And you remember that one picture, eh? - Oh, I remember that one picture, and he had about eight stitches on his forehead. - Yeah, yeah. - And it was a beauty, it was a beauty. - He won four Stanley Cups with the Oilers as coach, and then he won five Stanley Cups as a president and GM of the Oilers. - I remember him walk up by him, and he was standing outside the dressing room, and I said, "Your team is not hitting the way it did." He said, "Why don't you go and tell him?" And he thought I'd go in, you know, and be a nice guy. - So he went in the dressing room? - Yeah, and I went in and I said, "You fucking guys, "you want to win the easy way now?" And all that stuff, anyhow. - Yeah, I remember you told me this story, one time you were in big trouble, and then at like one of the things on Hockey Night in Canada, you were in big trouble. - Well, what did I, oh, I don't know what it was, one of the many. - It was the old arena in Calgary, and it was black, and I heard this voice sort of a clear blue sky, and it was him. And he says, "I hear you're going to get fired," but I said, "Well, I was in many times, I was in trouble." And I said, "Well, you got a job with us "with the coding, anyhow, if you ever do get fired." Well, which made me feel pretty good. - I think-- - I would have taken a big-- - A big-- - A big cut. - A big cut of salary. - I think one of the funniest things, though, that you did on Coach's Corner was because of him, you-- - Oh, well, we went to as a neighbor of his, and he had a bull terrier. And I had pitcher take him, and I said, "Look, I don't want this here to get in the paper." Blue was a fun page of the Edmonton Journal. - And he got in the front page here, and-- - So it was pretty funny, 'cause you went on Coach's Corner, and at the end of the Coach's Corner next week, Ron said, "Don, he goes, 'I know you're in real trouble at home.' "Blue is quite upset that you took a picture "with another bull terrier, and she's heartbroken." What did you say? - I said, "That bitch doesn't mean a thing to me. "Blue, I just want you to know." Imagine if I said that now? - Yeah. - I thought it was too out of the cover. - Yeah, but Glenn Seder, I always remember, he always like smoking those cigars and-- - Boy, he still smokes, he doesn't smoke them now, but he'd have it gone. - Yeah, boy, like, if the game was tight, he'd be chewing on it. (laughing) Okay, this one is from JKMM. - What's his name? - I don't know, JKMM. I don't know what that stands for. This is, "Hey, Graves, what was the most memorable, "memorable goal you scored in your career?" I looked it up. You know what, your best share, you had 13 goals. - 13 goals. - If you make about $8 million in the national hockey league. - I'm making about $8 million. - You would make, what, $4,500? - $4,500. $4,500, and I made $4,500 for 10 years. - So what was your most memorable goal? - My most memorable goal was my last goal. I never forgot my last goal. I was in the Boston Gardens, and it was nobody there. - So you were with Rochester? - I was with Rochester. - And who was the Boston team? Boston Braves. - Boston Braves, yeah. And our power play was so awful. He said, "Sure, you go and play left point." And I'd set there for three periods. I'd set there for three periods. And my legs were like lead, I said to the Lord. I said, "Lord, don't let me make a fool of myself out here." And come right back to me in the face off. I dig to the left, and the guy went to the right. I dig to the right, and the guy went to the left. And I went in on the goaltender, and I dig to go to the goal of my left. I don't know what to come to think of it. Maybe they let me score. Anyhow, anyhow, he went the other way, and I put it in. I skied it right to the box, and I sat down. As if it's as if to say, if you had to put me over here before, we might have scored some goals. Stupid, stupid. - Didn't say something in the bench say, "Watch out for that number." - Oh yeah, and across the Gary Peters. I think it was Gary Peters. One of the Peters was his last name. He says, "Watch out for that number two." He is really, something out there. - That might have been one of your last shifts. - Come to think of it. Come to think of it, I think it was. I think it was, it was near the end of the season. - Yeah, and then it was, well, no, I think what happened was that they didn't play because of the age rule, and then Adam's got punched in the back of the head, and you were made coach shortly thereafter. - Oh, that's a long story. - Yeah, we can get into that one. Anyhow, that was my, remember? I remember scoring that goal that they say this way and this way. I think the guys let me score on purpose. No, I don't think that. - No, that was, was that the trip you first saw Bobby Orr? - I remember the first time I saw Bobby Orr. I couldn't believe when I was in. - Yeah, 'cause you guys were, was it a practice, right? - Yeah, and I, you know, I'd seen him on television and everything, and he was like a forward and the defense went in the forward and a forward. And I thought, you know, this guy. - Well, Uncle Rich, I remember you saying Uncle Rich, she was with Bobby Orr in his Orr's rookie training camp. - Yeah, he was at his rookie and came, and they had a picture taken of him. And the five of them were lined up there, and there was Bobby Orr sitting in there. - Uncle Rich, tell me about him? - He phoned me and we talked on the phone, he says, "Where do you see this stuff?" I think he wasn't aware, some other lover. And he says, "Where do you see this kid?" He said, "He is, he is really something. But he's gonna get hurt." And I says, "How come?" He leaves his leg, and I knew exactly what he meant was he went around one leg, and he left the other one for the other guy to hit. And Marcel Pronable was the first guy that really nailed him. - Okay, Dad, we're gonna end with another trivia question. This one is kind of cool. From Jeffrey G. on Facebook. He goes, "Don, I'm gonna give you a trivia question. Which player had the biggest plus minus was the biggest plus in one game?" - I never forgot that with Tom Bladen. - Right, with Philadelphia. - He was plus 10, he had one game. - One game, plus 10, plus 10. I mean, you'd be lucky if you're plus two, anyhow. And I remember one time, there was a big rate of in the paper about him, about in the afternoon. And he hadn't had a fight yet. And everybody, everybody else-- - Yeah, 'cause that was the broad street bully days. - No, broad street bullies. I remember, I hope he doesn't start something with us. And sure enough, I remember this. And he was in the far side, and he dropped the gloves, looked up, and it was John Winston. What a guy to get, dark your fights. - Well, he want, I remember that. 'Cause he was, he wasn't like that though. He was just a bad kid. - No, he was a good hockey player. - He was a good hockey player. - Just moved the puck and all that. But he was plus 10, and they beat the Cleveland Barons 11 to 1. - Man, imagine plus 10. - So, you know what Brian Kilroy said about plus minus which makes a lot of sense. Again, we're talking about Brian Kilroy winning his coach in the junior hockey. He said he thinks plus minus, and what he did with his team is, it should start fresh every month. 'Cause he says you could have a bad month and be minus 20, and then have a good month. - Well, when you're face off in your end, you always put on your best defensive players. - So, those guys are gonna get the bigger minus. - Those guys, I never looked at it by plus and minuses. - No, I mean, that's what Brian said. He goes, what he does is he starts it over at the beginning of the month, because you could have a bad month to be minus 20, and have a good month and be plus 10, and then you look at your plus minus, and your minus 10. - Yeah, what was the one story you told where you were like plus four? - Oh, I was with Daryl Slye, and we were plus four. He said, he's Daryl, why did you say that? - Why is this because, oh, I don't believe in that. I don't believe in that. He said, bing, bing, bing. I see Daryl, I told you, so I don't believe in that. Well, I guess we gotta go now, and I would say to Lou. (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music)