Milbury: "Cherry Belongs in the Hall"

"Mad Mike" Milbury, no stranger to hockey controversy, wrote a column for the CBC Sports section on-line and did his best to make a compelling argument to support his HNIC colleague Coach Don Cherry for Hockey Hall of Fame. I couldn't say it any better than the selected exerpts from the column itself. To me, there is no counter-argument when the opinions are presented.

There is not a man on the planet who has kept more fans or made more fans for the sport of hockey than Grapes. For nearly 30 years he has kept the attention of Canadian hockey fans (and now fans worldwide) on the sport that he and they love far more than any other....Can anyone deny that the man has driven interest in the sport to the extent that he stops Canada in its tracks every Saturday night on Coach's Corner?...Wherever people gather, they stop and listen with reverence, derision, laughter and amazement when the Coach steps to his bloody pulpit....Grapes speaks loudly and clearly for the honour of hockey. He speaks of its courage and skill. He advises - and in most cases very sincerely and accurately - how hockey youths should act....He speaks to the love of Canada and to his outright and unfeigned admiration and gratitude to the military men and women of Canada in a way that no others can - in the middle of a hockey broadcast. And he is oh-so-right to remind us of their service.

In the recent Hall of Fame ceremonies Vladislav Tretiak was given a place of honor despite 0 minutes in the NHL or any other North American league. Cherry has seen 1 NHL game to his credit.

CBC Sports