FiredUp Network
Thursday, July 4: Don Cherry's Grapevine Podcast
- All right, let's go. (upbeat music) - All right, all right, Florida wins the cup. - Right, you were right, dad. You said your heart was with Edmonton, but your wallet was with Florida. - Yeah, no, my brain. - Your brain. - Something like that. - So what'd you think of the game? - Well, I thought there was a good game. It wasn't spectacular. I thought that Florida reverted to back to where they were the first three games they started to hit. - Yeah, that's the one thing you did say when we were watching the game was that all of a sudden they started to hit again. Like the three games that they didn't win, they weren't hitting like they were in the first three games and they did this game, which was kind of surprising 'cause the game's seven, you were a little nervous to hit. - Yeah, at home and everything like that. - So dad, one of the big controversy in the game was after the game and we got an email from Big Daddy Simo and he asked, "How did you feel about Connor McDavid "not accepting the consequences on the ice?" - I remember, I remember, like it was yesterday, the OHL championship game. No, no. - What was the GTHL championship? - GTHL championship and I got a picture at home. His team never won the championship and he was at. - Yeah, it was almost the same thing. They lost in the game seven against Mississauga Rebels, Robbie Fabry from Detroit. He was the captain but David won the MVP of the playoffs. - And there's a picture taken and you could see he didn't know where he wanted to be there. - I don't think, what do you think of him not accepting it? - Well, what is he going out there? You get booed, you know he's going to get booed. - Right. - So why go out there and take it? - Yeah, look, I like Connor McDavid. You and I have been watching him since he's been 13 years old and I'm a big fan of everything but I think Pavlovski should've won MVP. - Oh, I don't, I still say Connor McDavid should've won it. - Well, I think if you take Pavlovski off that team Florida doesn't win. - So that award, that award is just for how you did in the playoffs. - Just how you did in the playoffs. When Pavlovski played bad, they lost. - Right. - When they played good, they won. And I think that that he should've won it and. - Well, I don't think he should've gone out and accepted the trophy. - I think if he was at home, he should've. He would've gone out because of the fans would've been there. - Well, what's going on getting booed? - Yeah, it's better enough. See Florida jumping all around and everything like that. They all sit all, he's not a good loser. What did you say? Show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser. - I'll show you a loser. - Well, you always said as a kid, there's a difference between a good loser and a good sport. That's how you taught Tim and I. There's a difference. - I don't know. I don't know whether I believe that or not to tell you the truth. - So, Dad, let me ask you, like for next season, is anything going to change for Edmonton that they could do a repeat of this season? - I think that they get a couple of tough defensemen and Florida had a couple of tough defensemen. Everybody is looking for a big tough defensemen. - Yeah, you can saw that in the draft over the last two days. Like they're all the defensemen now or all 62, 63. - Yeah, they were all big and they were all big and tough and they looked tough. - Yeah, because there was a point where did smaller defensemen was kind of the thing, right? You got to get the small puck moving defensemen but you look at Florida, you look at Vegas, you look at Tampa, their defense is all big. - Oh, big and tough, and if you've got a kid that's big, drilling into him, he's got to be tough. - When you and I, Dad first started to watch kids, like, you know, would have been close to 20 years ago we started watching kids, if a player was big, like a big defensemen, they usually weren't very good skaters. And you look and go, wow, he's got to grow into his bodies and skates got to improve. But now the kids, they're all good. They're all good. Like the kids are six foot at 17 years old and they skate like the wind. So, and before it was you either had to pick size and hopefully he could skate or smaller and he could really skate. But now it's size and skate. - You think this is because of the training that the parents put the kids through? - I don't know what it is. - Yeah, I think that. I think the equipment, I just, yeah. 'Cause you look at Owen Powers, when we saw him, he was a good skater, but his skating's approved a lot. But he was-- - I never thought he would be as good as in the National Hockey League as he is. - No, no. And he was a good skater for his size, but he's an unbelievable skater. Was he like six, five or something like that? And he skates like he's five, 11. But I think that that's why it's changed, is that you can get big defenseman who can skate now. - Well, what'd you think of the awards show? - Ugh, did you see it's a need? No, I think, did you watch it then? - Yeah, I won. - What'd you think of it? - I did, too much of it. - Oh, it was awful. Somebody should be fired for that. Like, you know, the guys at the NHL, some of you should lose their job how bad it was. It's embarrassing. They seem to have no respect for the players or for the trophies or for the history. They had some guy who says he was George Vesta and he came out in a goalie and he says, "I gotta pee." And you know, I'm like, you just, like, do you ever think baseball would have a guy going out mocking, you know, Babe Ruth? - No, in baseball, they honor their past players. - Right, they hold them in reverence. In the National Hockey League, they mock them. - They mock them, it's just ridiculous. - Yeah, but the, but you go on the flip side, the draft was unbelievable. - Yeah, the draft was good. - That building I hear is really spectacular. - It was just, that was good. - Yeah. - That was good. And then go in the crowd and get the, you know. - Yeah, the thing is, you know what? I don't understand why that's the last time the teams will be there. They're gonna do it like, you know, the NFL and basketball hockey wants to be like, you know, the U.S. But I don't understand why they, like, I think it's great that the kids go down and they shake the hands of the coach and of the owners and stuff like that. They take a picture and now they're not gonna-- - And when they go up and they, they keep the camera on, you know, when they-- - Well, it's a lot cheaper, it's a lot cheaper. - Maybe it's, they can't afford the bar bills in Vegas and stuff like that. So, you know, the one thing I noticed was, I thought was cool, I can't remember who the guy was, but a guy came up, it was in the first round, Gary Bettman was there, and a guy came up, and I think it was an owner, and you know, owners don't have the ties on, right? 'Cause they're too cool to have a tie. - Yeah, well, they don't, they don't need ties. - And his shirt was like unbuttoned, like it was like pretty open, and Bettman walked up and waved his finger in front of his face and the guy buttoned up a shirt. - I didn't see that one, I don't remember that one. - Yeah, I do, and then Celine Dion came out. - And she was pretty good, Michael Buffer was pretty good too. - Yeah, he was funny, yeah, he was really good. The one guy goes, it was a kid from Guelph that got drafted, and he said that, he's got the greatest draft notice than anybody, 'cause you know, Michael Buffer's the ring announcer, you know, let's get ready to rumble. And then he says, "In to Philadelphia picks, weighing in at 153 pounds, standing at a 5'11" from Guelph Storm, so it was a-- - Well, I love seeing Celine Dion looking so great. I mean, I don't know if you saw her documentary, but boy, she looked great on TV, so I was happy to see that. - Well, the Leafs picked Ben Danford from the Oshawa Generals. - Yeah, Oshawa had a good draft. - 14 players, the CHL players were taken in the first round, 18 Canadians are taken in the first round. - Right, and the next biggest was four. So, Dad, you know, talking about the draft, Trevor Whiffin, who's our friend, and he's the governor of the London Knights of the OHL. They're the evil empire, nobody likes the London Knights, but he did a tweet. The London Knights had two players selected in the first round of the NHL draft, Sam Dickinson and Sam O'Reilly, two Sams. The Knights have now had at least one player selected in the draft every year since the Universal Draft started in 1969. Unbelievable-- - Everybody's out for the 100s. - 55 years in a row, no other team in the world can claim that amazing accomplishment. I think in any sport. So, for 55 years, a London Knight has put a guy into the National Hockey League. What an accomplishment. - And Trevor Whiffin loves him. - He loves him. I always think, though, Dad, the funniest thing, you know, Mark Dallers, a lot of stuff, but I told his story before, but I think it's the funny one. Remember when we saw them after the, after they won gold in the World Championship, we were at Icelands in Mississauga. And Dallers was the coach, and Mark was the GM, and they, for Team Canada and the World Juniors, and they lost the first game six-nothing to the Russians. So, we walked up to Mark, or Mark, we said, "Hey, you know, congratulations on the cup." And he goes, "Yeah." He goes, "We lost the first game six-nothing." And he goes in the headlines where Mark and Dale Hunter, the most overrated minds in hockey. (laughing) - And they weren't. - Okay, Dad, here's a question from Matt Don Moyer, and it says, "Grapes, did you happen to see "the Hershey Bears while on the Calder Cup?" - Oh, I never saw them, but I heard about them and the Coachella Valley Firebirds, two years in a row. They beat them two years in a row. - Well, you know what, Hershey has always the soft spot in our hearts for that city with their history. - Yeah, you were born, well, born there. - Oh, yeah, yeah, no matter where you were playing, Mom always went back to her hometown, Hershey, to give birth and everything. - That's the same rink, too, ain't it? - Is it really? - No, it's not the same rink, it's a different rink now. - Is it? - Yeah, it's a different rink now. Mr. Hershey went in there and looked at it, and he said, "Look, Dad, I'm wrong." And he said, "Too small." And turned around and walked out. - Yeah, 'cause they got a big crowd there. - Boy, that was steep there. - Yeah. - Boy, you fall, if you were up and you fell, I don't know where you'd end up, but you wouldn't end up good. - Yeah, but I like a steep so that you're not looking at the person in front of his head to watch a game and everything. - Well, yeah, 'cause that's-- - And the door opened out onto the ice. I never-- - Did it really? - Yeah. - It's like a suicide door in a car. - You mean the gates on from bench? - I kid you not opened up on the ice. - Oh my God. - Did anybody run into 'em? - George Patterson of Kingston, Ontario, was a professional hockey player. He ran into it and-- - Boy, that musta hurt. - Oh, jeez. And they weren't high though. They were-- - Yeah, but regardless, that could've been a tactic for the trainer to open up a gate when the players coming down. Oh, sorry. - I kid you not, they opened up into the ice. - Well, so I was telling this story to a guy and he didn't believe it was true. So you tell me it's true. You said when you played in three Rivers Quebec-- - Three Rivers Quebec. - That if a guy got a nice goal or a fight or something like that, the fans would tip them. - They would take a $2 bill. We don't have a $2 bill now. They'd take a $2 bill and they'd, you know, Dean of a Scotty way. He used to win it every time. Dean of a Scotty. - So they, who would the fans give it to? They give it to the-- - Oh, a guy if you had a good fighter or he blocked a shot, good. - They'd give it to the trainer and say this is for-- Hey, this is for-- - No, no, they'd hand it right to the right to the player. - Really? - Yeah. And the player would take it too. I never forgot that. - Did any shore trade you to that team just to spite you, you think, to go and come back? - I'll tell you a story. - It was around Christmas, wasn't it? - It was around Christmas. I was on the ice with them. Let's see, there'd be three, but seven guys, but eight guys. And Patty even did not like me. He was a coach. Of course, a lot of coaches didn't like you. - Most coaches didn't like you. - Yeah, dad. - No, no, good coaches like me because, and they were good coaches. Mom. - Punch like you. - Punch him, punch him like you. - Yeah, punch him like you said when he called me. Think of my Bob. (laughs) He said, Bob Armstrong and think of my Bob, go out there. Think of a Bob. - Did you go out when he called me? - Oh, I went going. - You wouldn't go? You just stopped it. - 90% somebody else out there, wasn't. (laughs) Oh, yeah. - So you're on the ice with Patty again and above? - Patty again. And Patty again did not like me. He was a coach. And he was coming around, I never forgot this. And he didn't like me and I didn't like him. And he, he coming around the net with just a jack-a-knot, just a jack-a-knot. - So you guys were just scrimmaging. - Yeah, we were fooling around. And he'd come out and he went behind the net and he'd come out to the blue line. And I met him at the blue line. I broke my stick over. Next day I was gone to reverse Quebec. He didn't, he didn't lay down long. All he got up and he told her it was bad. I was gone the next day to reverse Quebec. I remember he had a white house called on. Or what do you- - Bath road. - Bath road, yeah. And he come out and he says, "Here's something for you, Mr. Cherry." And I looked at it and it was nothing. Jesus, three rivers to Quebec. Where the hell is three rivers to Quebec? I didn't know where it was. - What did he sure tell you how to get there? - Oh, I didn't. Hey, hey, hey, hey, he sure told me. He says, you go through Connecticut and you go through the end. And when you hit the Canadian border, turn right. I got lost. - I got lost. - Yeah, 'cause you're supposed to get up. - I'll tell you that whole story someday. Patty didn't stay down long, though. He got up, he got up, but the next day, I was gone. - So, Dad, I have to ask you what did mom think? Going to Quebec. I mean, there she was. - I remember the day, if you don't mind me interrupting. I asked me about your mom and she come back and she said, "I just want a little bit off the top." And she pointed, you know, figured just just a little bit off the, and I come home, she had a brush gun. - Totally dear. - No, it was the style then. It was the style, and then she really looked French then. - Yeah, because I remember mom saying, she just saying, "I want a little bit off." The hairdresser didn't speak English, so she thought that's how long she wanted her. - I don't think mom, I remember mom saying, she wasn't very happy. - No, I remember crying. - I can remember. It's a little girl I can remember. - Was she crying? - Yeah, she was crying. I can remember that, 'cause like, you know, you don't see her mom cry that often. And I remember that. But, I remember you, I remember you, I was gone to practice, and she said, "Sindy's not eating." - Oh, geez, you gotta bring that up again. (laughing) - And she hasn't even touched your egg. You touched your egg, 'cause there I touched it. - Oh, okay, what a brat I was, I mean. - But you were a brat. - I was a brat. Then you got me up and threw me in the corner. - And I said, "I'll stand there." - And I was crying, and then I wiped my tears. And I still remember, it was wallpaper on the walls, and I was picking it, 'cause I wet it at all. And so then I started to pick the wallpaper, and then I got a couple. - Just what you need before practice, right? - Yeah, yeah. (laughing) - Just what I needed before practice. - I was a brat. - Yeah, but you said you could speak French though, eh? "Sindy spoke French pretty quick." - Yeah, you spoke French. - Well, that's because you had a French babysitter. - Yeah. - And she used to bring French. - She used to have her daughter, or Jer John, or something like that. Anyhow, I remember his wife used to speak French to you, and you used to ask her in French. - Yeah, well, she was my babysitter, and she would bring nursery rhyme books, and they were all in French, and she would read French to me all the time, and I could speak fluently. (laughing) - That's long gone now though. - Oh, that's way gone. (laughing) - Dad, in Sydney, we like to thank our sponsor, NorthStarBets.com. They're a proud Canadian brand, and one of the best places to play in Canada. - Yep, yep. Why, why would you want to play baby, please else? - Right, and NorthStarBets.com has everything you're looking for, a sports book with built-in betting insights, analysis slots like dealer tables, exceptional customer service. So get into the action now with NorthStarBets.com, and NorthStarBets.com is not available in Ontario. And did you hear that Dave Portnein, he's the guy that owns that Barstool Kingdom of. He bet 150 grand on the Oilers at the beginning of the year, and if they won, he would have got like a million seven back. - Holy dino. - So he lost, he lost by a goalie, he lost seven. - But imagine, I wonder where he was tearing forward. - Yeah, really. Well, the story goes, I guess they're, I don't know if they're embossing or they're in New York someplace, I think they're in New York, they're head office. And one of his employees is a huge Florida Panthers fan, but loses every time he goes to a Florida Panther game. So game six, this Dave guy flew him out to Edmonton, got him a ticket and said, "You better be in that rink." They lost, came back and then said, "Okay, you're going to game seven," but they fell. So Dad, we got a question from Facebook, it's Northern 500. It said, "If Harry send in the GM of the Bruins "wanted to trade Bobby Orr to Montreal." - I don't know why he would. - I don't know why he would. Who would you want back? I would want Serg Sevard back and I'd play him about 60 minutes a game. Serg Sevard, I would say, was a killer for me. - Yeah, 'cause you had, like the big three will appoint Robinson and Sevard, but it was like La Pointe and Robinson, I think got most of the credit, right? - Oh boy. So not Gila Fleur. - No, not Gila Fleur because we had enough forwards, I don't know where he'd fit him in. - So you'd want Sevard? - I want Sevard, Serg Sevard, would be the guy I'd want. - Okay dads, we got one last question. Terry, blue and white, so I bet you he's a Leaf fan. Hey, Graves, watch an old Bruins game on YouTube that you were coaching. Got me wondering, do you think you could coach in today's hockey with today's players? - Well, they're more independent than they used to be. There's no doubt about that when you get a 10 year contract. - You can owe $8 million a year. - Yeah, and one player said to the coach, "I'll be a lot longer around here, a lot longer than you." But I think I changed a little with the players. They still have pride and everybody knocks the hockey players today and they're still have pride and everything like that, I still-- - So dad, you know, your style was very simplistic around the boards and out and then if there wasn't an odd man rush or whatever, dump the puck in, correctly dump the puck in and go get it. Should you? - I have to laugh when they're in the last minute of play and in every game, when they have to score, they dump it in and they go in and get it. They put it in deep. That's what they say now, they put it in deep. They don't say they dump it in. - But when we were watching the game, you told me player dumped it in and you go, "You see Cindy, he went to the bench." In my day, that guy that shot the puck in went in after the puck. That was the difference between you and-- - Coming down the left hand side and you put it in the right corner and you always put it in the right corner. The right winger didn't even look. He just kept right on going and-- - That's a, but you gotta have the right type of players. 'Cause that's a tough way to play. Say, you know though, dad, when you had the players dump it in, you expected your player to go in the corner first to get the puck. - We went in the corner first and they'd always, you know, they'd get hammered. I remember Clayton Bahaal. He used to let that guy go in first. And I said, "Yeah, but you're hitting 'em, but you're hitting 'em from behind. You gotta go in first and get the puck. Clayton Bahaal-- - And get hit. - And get hit. - And-- - That would be an interesting stat in the National Hockey League. What player gets hit the most, what forward gets hit the most of the players, meaning who he, I gotta admit, like I was watching in that finalist. There were guys that dumped the puck in and then they'd go into the corner. They'd kind of let up a little bit. - And a lot of the players, you know, they look tough when they're hitting the guy in the corner. You're going, you know, the guy that's doing the hit and it's the guy that's taking the hit that's taking the hit to get the puck out is-- - Gotta go in first to get the puck. (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music) (upbeat music)