Cherry-pickin’

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This article was published 11/04/2018 (2712 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Don Cherry has always had a soft spot for Winnipeg hockey fans.

Sure, the iconic Hockey Night in Canada pundit has made a career out of ruffling feathers. It’s landed him in enough hot water over the years to boil an elephant.

But Cherry was one of Winnipeg’s most fervent supporters when the city lost its NHL team in 1996. Cherry was in Winnipeg, working for HNIC, in the Jets 1.0 dying days at the old Winnipeg Arena. The 84-year-old was also in Bell MTS Place (then MTS Centre) for the birth of Jets 2.0 on Oct. 9, 2011. And he was there for the frenzied return of the Whiteout when the Jets hosted the Anaheim Ducks in the spring of 2015.

“I wish everybody was here to experience this crowd… the sea of white, it’s unbelievable,” he told the HNIC audience from the ice surface. “Couldn’t be a better city!”

The Jets were swept in four straight by the Ducks. But Wednesday night, the forecast is for a Whiteout inside the building when the Jets host the Minnesota Wild in Game 1 of the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

This time, though, Cherry won’t be in the building. He’ll be in a Toronto TV studio with host/sidekick Ron MacLean, where they’ll be almost every night for the next few weeks.

“I would like to come out there, but Ron’s got to stay in the control (room) and we’re going to start with Toronto,” Cherry said, who pronounced the Leafs home as “Tranna.” “But I’d sure like to get out there.”

We asked Cherry about his thoughts on Winnipeg fans, the inside story on how he predicted the team’s return, the Jets playoff chances and, finally, just how long is he going to be sitting in his HNIC pulpit anyway?

FP: Do you recall the mood of the last game in 1996?

Cherry: “I remember standing at centre ice and usually — you know, big, tough hockey players — that was the first time I’d ever seen hockey players cry. And I’ll tell ya, talk about emotional. I said (on TV) they’d be back, but I don’t know if I believed it then or not because when they go, they don’t come back. But I remember it was one of the saddest things I was ever at in a hockey game.”

FP: I understand you were trying to give people hope when you said the Jets would come back, but did you really think it was a reality?

Cherry: “Well, actually, I predicted they would be back. I knew when I went out there for a banquet you’d see Jets sweaters and hats and stuff like that. And (one time) I was meeting with the premier — he became the ambassador for England or the United States…”

FP: Gary Doer?

Cherry: “Yes. We were in the Legislative Building (at a press conference in 2009 promoting the 2010 Vancouver Olympics). (Doer) said, ‘I guarantee you the Jets will be back’ and I said, ‘Why?’ And he said, ‘I’ll write this down. Don’t tell anyone.’ And he wrote (David) Thomson’s name down (on a piece of paper). So I went on television and I said, ‘I guarantee you they’ll be back’. So I looked pretty smart, but it was the premier who wrote the name down. That’s a little inside thing. And when you get a guy with that kind of money (Thomson), I knew they’d be back. I looked pretty good on television.”

FP: Don’t you always?

Cherry: (chuckling) “Yes.”

FP: You’ve always had an affinity for Winnipeg fans, it seems. Why?

Cherry: “Well, they remind me of Edmonton fans, too, that they never boo their power play when it’s not going good. I always judge a crowd by that, because it’s so easy to boo a power play. And they stuck with them the whole time. And let’s face it, for the last couple of years they (the Jets) have taken a bunch of stupid penalties. And they don’t boo them. And now they have more wins at home than anybody. It’s a tough place to play, believe me. I just like the fans, that’s all. They’re blue-collar guys like me. I was in construction all my life (as minor-league player working in the off-season).”

FP: Does any of it have to do with you feeling sorry for them having lost their team?

Cherry: “I don’t think so. I never felt sorry for them. And I know the fans pretty good. We won the Memorial Cup there (in 1953, as a defenceman for the OHL’s Barrie Flyers) over the St. Boniface Canadiens. We took a train out there. I remember it (the series) was longer than the Stanley Cup. The ice was starting to melt. It was quite an experience. I go back with Winnipeg a ‘looooong’ way. So I’ve had a feeling for them (the fans) there and always did.”

FP: What was it like to be in Winnipeg when the old Jets ended and then to return when the new Jets started?

Cherry: “Yeah, it really was an emotional thing. You could almost feel it from the fans that, ‘We did it!’ What a great difference from when it was closing. And I didn’t even think the other arena was that bad. But what a difference it was between the closing and the opening, I’ll tell ya.”

FP: By the way, when you come out here, do you get out much and see the city?

Cherry: “No, I usually stay in my hotel room. Especially anywhere in Canada. I used to when I was younger, but not anymore. It’s like a banquet when I go to any bars. I sign autographs and pose for pictures, not that I mind. But when you’re having a beer you want to relax.”

FP: This is more of a hockey question: Can a franchise that’s never won a playoff game — not one — be considered a Stanley Cup contender?

Cherry: “Well, all you have to do is look at what they’ve done. (Goaltender Connor) Hellebuyck has been a rock back there. They don’t take dumb penalties anymore. They’ve got coaches that have been there before. They’ve scored more goals than anybody. Everybody’s a plus. That’s just off the top of my head. They’ve got the No. 1 leader in power-play goals (Patrik Laine). (Blake) Wheeler is a leader… (Mark) Scheifele. And (Tyler) Myers and (Dustin) Byfuglien. I’d hate to go into the corner with that guy. So they’ve got everything going for them.”

https://youtu.be/DXMc88VHwoU? t=8m20s

FP: Back in January, you went on national radio and TV and picked the Jets to be in the Stanley Cup final…

Cherry: “Yeah, I’m going to get them to the Final, then they’re on their own. Tampa and Winnipeg, that’s who I say is going to be in the Final.”

FP: Can you imagine the city of Winnipeg if the Jets are in the Stanley Cup Final?

Cherry: “Oh, my goodness. That’s really going to be something if they get in the Finals. Boy, oh, boy. I want to be there to see it. I know in places like Nashville they celebrate, but not like they do in Winnipeg, that’s for sure.”

FP: One last question: how long are you going to do this? You’re 84 (years old) now…

Cherry: “I don’t know. As long as I’m having fun. That’s the main thing. As soon as it becomes work, or I’m not excited going down to the games… I love the morning skate, that’s one of my favourite times. It reminds me of when I was coaching. I don’t know why. It’s been my life. But I’m having fun now. In fact, I’d have to say it’s better than it’s ever been, to tell you the truth. I’ve had some tough years for a long time. I had one of the (CBC) bosses tell me his legacy would be that I’m gone. But that was eight or nine years ago. But things are rolling now.”

randy.turner@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @randyturner15