Don Cherry Apologizes For Controversial Comments In Face Of Potential Lawsuit

Don Cherry has apologized for the controversial comments he made a little over a week ago, in which he called three former NHL enforcers “pukes” and “hypocrites” for their public stance on fighting in hockey today.

In his Coach’s Corner segment on CBC’s Hockey Night In Canada, the third such segment since making the original comments, Cherry said he was “wrong about a lot of things” regarding Chris Nilan, Stu Grimson and Jim Thomson. The full remarks, courtesy of CBC:

On opening night of the 2011 NHL season, Don Cherry ranted on CBC about the NHL’s new rules prohibiting headshots and promoting other safety measures. During that rant, he referred to a number of former NHL players who support the new rules as “hypocrites” and “turncoats”. Three of the players that Cherry specifically called out during the segment are currently seeking an apology from Cherry and CBC, and they’re supposedly considering filing a lawsuit if they don’t get that apology.

Chris Nilan, Jim Thomson and Stu Grimson are the three players in question who are particularly dissatisfied with Cherry’s remarks. They plan on releasing a statement through their attorneys on Tuesday demanding a full apology from Cherry.

Don Cherry made waves on Thursday night, when during his Coach’s Corner segment on CBC’s opening night coverage, he berated the NHL for their crackdown on dangerous hits. He also tore apart a number of former NHL enforcers, calling them “hypocrites” for worrying about the mental health of fighters in today’s NHL.

On Saturday, just hours before Cherry was set to go on the air during the first intermission of Saturday’s Hockey Night In Canada coverage, CBC distanced itself from Cherry’s vitriolic opinions.

I don’t want to generalize here, but Don Cherry is old. And for the most part, old men set in their opinions and their ways are averse to any change, even when that change is clearly in favor of the greater good.

That’s quite possibly the only way I can understand how Don Cherry sat on national television last night and praised a 10-year-old video of Scott Stevens handing out concussions like candy.