Don Cherry apologizes to tough guys on CBC

Last Saturday night during the Coaches Corner, on Hockey Night in Canada Don Cherry apologized for his comments where he berated Stu Grimson, Chris Nilan and Jim Thomson the week before.

CBC.CA --- Cherry called Grimson, Nilan and Thomson "turncoats" and "hypocrites," accusing them of not wanting players to make the same living they did.

He also accused those who want to end violence in the sport of taking advantage of the three deaths to make points on fighting.

Don Cherry might get sued by former tough guys.

I do not receive my cable from Midcontinent anymore because I recently switched to Direct Television, the first thing that I discovered is that there is no CBC on Direct TV, something that I didn't consider when I switched to satellite television. That means I can no longer get the coaches corner, while I had read about this story on the various hockey blogs, this was the first time that I had seen this video.

I think that Don Cherry will probably have to apologize for his controversial comments he made at the 5:40 mark of this video. Love him or hate Don Cherry does make some valid point but I believe that he might have crossed the line this time by calling former tough guys Chris Nilan, Jim Thomson and Stu Grimson "pukes," "hypocrites" and "turncoats."

Montreal Gazette ---- Accusing hockey's best-known commentator of "a complete lack of decency," three former NHL enforcers have raised the spectre of legal action against Don Cherry for controversial comments he made last week.

On Tuesday morning, the Nashville-based law firm Kay, Griffin, Enkema & Colbert released a statement saying former NHL players Chris Nilan, Jim Thomson and Stu Grimson are "considering further recourse" with regard to a rant Cherry made on Hockey Night in canada, calling these players "pukes," "hypocrites" and "turncoats."

It was because, according to Cherry, these players have recently said fighting should taken out of hockey.

While Thomson has made public statements saying clearly that fighting should be banned from the game, Grimson and Nilan have not.

Related articles

• Trio called pukes, seek 'further recourse' from Don Cherry (thestar.com)
• Don Cherry comments draw legal threat from NHL trio (cbc.ca)
• Former NHLers suggest they may sue Don Cherry (calgaryherald.com)
• Ex-NHL tough guys say they may sue Don Cherry (windsorstar.com)

Former NHL player Jim Thomson wants to ban fighting in the NHL.

We live in a gladiator society and majority of NHL fans love watching a fight between two willing combatants; fighting in hockey is also an aspect of the NHL that I like. Two people square off and fight it "usually" solves the problem and it "usually" ends right there.

As far as an out right ban on fighting in the NHL, I also don’t think the NHL GM’s, coaches and players would probably ever go for it. Here is the way I see it, it you take fighting out of hockey, how in the heck are you going to police the game? You can’t count on the Colin Campbells of the NHL to protect the players on the ice, nor can the referees do so as well. Also, if there is no threat of player ever having to fight on the ice in the NHL you will see more acts of violence from the Matt Cooke type players around the NHL…

TORONTO — If it was Chicago, it might be two bottles of wine. They always seemed to have tough guys in Chicago, scary guys who would keep Jim Thomson awake the night before a game, and the extra wine at dinner helped to fortify him for what lay ahead.

Sometimes the anxiety led to more self-medication, pills that helped him get over the fear of being knocked unconscious in front of 20,000 fans. He was a fighter.

“As a fighter in hockey, you live in fear,” Thomson said.

He lived on the margins of the roster, protecting Wayne Gretzky one year, playing for the Phoenix Roadrunners the next. Thomson logged dozens of fights over a 115-game career, and when it ended, he suffered.

“I went through periods of depression,” he said. “I’m a recovering alcoholic. I believe a lot of my demons, if you will, came from hockey ending and the head blows and certain things that I wasn’t aware of.”

Now 45, Thomson said he “easily” suffered five or six concussions. During one stretch in the American Hockey League, he was punched so hard in a fight on Friday that he cannot remember what he did on the ice during Saturday or Sunday’s games.

On Wednesday, Thomson was among a collection of current and former athletes gathered at the Hockey Hall of Fame to promote a website (stopconcussions.com) designed to help educate athletes on the cause, effects and consequences of concussion. Retired NHL star Keith Primeau was the keynote speaker, but Thomson delivered perhaps the most radical solution to reducing the risk on the ice.

The former fighter would like a blanket ban on fighting in hockey.

“Get it out,” he said. “I mean, come on, why do we need it?”

He referred to it, more than once, as “bare-knuckle fighting.”