from William Houston of the Globe and Mail,
There are several ways of looking at Hockey Night In Canada commentator Don Cherry’s putdown of Jermain Franklin, a TSN reporter who asked a question of San Jose Sharks coach Ron Wilson and was ridiculed on Cherry’s Coach’s Corner for doing so.
You could point out that Cherry is not a journalist, therefore, isn’t qualified to judge Franklin, although Cherry is certainly entitled to his opinion.
Or, given the number of weak questions asked on Hockey Night In Canada, Cherry’s sudden interest in the media should start at home. He could even compile a DVD—Hockey Night’s Greatest Hits: Stupidest Questions Vol. 1.
Watch Coach’s Corner from last night…
Firstly, Cherry did criticise Ron MacLean for asking stupid questions in the past. Secondly, it’s not hard to imagine TSN’s panel showing a clip of a coach getting upset during an interview like that one, and one of their panelists saying off-the-cuffly that it was a dumb question. Thirdly, it was a stupid question, because it’s leading and meant to stir up controversy. Fourthly, to suggest that Ron Wilson wouldn’t have been upset by that question if it was asked by, say, an American journalist from NBC is a little ridiculous. Fifthly, in hockey media, Cherry is probably the most widely criticised hockey personality--including all the players, Bettman, and even Colin Campbell, so suggesting he should avoid criticising the hockey media is a little strange.
Cherry’s a dinosaur well past his best-before date, but he doesn’t deserve all the bad press he gets.
Posted by Ryan from Toronto on 04/29 at 12:17 PM