Don Cherry

Born in Kingston, Ontario, Don Cherry entered the sport of Hockey during the time when the "Great's" were flying across the ice and into the hearts of fans. In 1955 while still a teenager, he played hockey for the Windsor Spitfires. He played one playoff game for the Boston Bruins and spent the next sixteen years in the minor hockey league. During this time, Cherry played for the eastern league, then the western league, was sent to the American league and finally to small-town Canada.After sixteen years, Cherry retired from hockey and took jobs in a number of different areas. He worked in Construction, he became a car salesman, and then he returned to hockey. His return to hockey is described as a storybook return, Cherry made defenseman for the Rochester Club. By mid-season he was voted Rookie Coach of the year and several months later he was fired for being too friendly with the players. His popularity with the fans and media saw him re-hired and named Coach of the Year in 1972 in the American League. By 1974 he was coaching the Boston Bruins and his team finished first in their division four season in a row under his coaching. This impressive record lead him to be named NHL Coach of the Year in the 1975/76 season and during this season he was also named assistant coach for Team Canada. In 1979, during game seven of the Stanley Cup finals, Cherry's Bruins were penalized for having too many men on the ice and consequently gave away the game-winning goal to the Canadiens. This lead to Cherry being fired by the Bruins and hired by the Colorado Rockies. The Rockies finished last after one season (1979/80) and Cherry was released from his coaching position.With his coaching career on the rocks, Cherry was featured on a segment called "Coaches Corner" with HOCKEY NIGHT IN CANADA host Dave Hodge in 1980. Cherry quickly became a favorite of fans for his straight talking analysis of games and has become a well known figure in Canada. Aside from a few politicians, Don Cherry is a recognized figure amongst Canadian. Unlike the politicians, Cherry will not lie.