Topic spans: 1979 - 2004
Don Cherry: A Coach, A Commentator, A Controversy
He was a better hockey coach than a player, and a better commentator than a coach. But as Don Cherry's career gained momentum, so did the controversy. Brash, outspoken and flamboyant, Cherry has the biggest mouth in hockey. It's a quality that Canadians either love, love to hate, or just hate. From his time on ice to his time on air, Don Cherry's unrestrained commentary has often landed him in hot water.
8 television clips
5 radio clips
World junior hockey brawl: the right thing to do
Broadcast Date: Jan. 5, 1987
Blame the Russians! That's Don Cherry's reaction to the bench-clearing brawl between the Canadian and Soviet world junior hockey teams in Piestany, Czechoslovakia in 1987. Canada was going for gold, leading 4-2. Then a fight broke out, both benches emptied, and a 20-minute fracas erupted. Former NHL coach Don Cherry, always lenient on hockey violence, applauds the Canadian players. In this clip, he tells sportswriter Michael Farber that sacrificing a medal to fight the Soviets was simply "our Canadian way."World junior hockey brawl: the right thing to do
• The "Punch-up in Piestany" erupted halfway through the final game of the 1987 world junior hockey championship. Canada was assured a medal, and would have moved ahead of Finland for the gold if they had beaten the Soviets by at least five goals.• The blow-up began as a fight between Pavel Kostichkin and Theoren Fleury. Four Soviet players left their bench to join the brawl, and then all the players on both teams swarmed onto the ice.
• The pugilists, who included future NHL greats Brendan Shanahan and Mike Keane (and the goalies of both the Canadian and Soviet teams) could not be separated even when the arena lights were turned out. After 20 minutes, they simply wore out and stopped fighting. The rest of the game was cancelled.
• The International Ice Hockey Federation voted to expel both teams from the tournament and Finland was awarded the gold.
• The fight divided Canadians on the perennial issue of violence in hockey. While most observers agreed that the Soviets goaded the Canadians into fighting, some felt the Canadians displayed an embarrassing lack of discipline and self-control. Others, like Don Cherry, believed the Canadians had no choice but to rush to defend their embattled teammates.
• Players aside, there was plenty of blame to go around. Federal sports minister Otto Jelinek and Hockey Canada chair Alan Eagleson blamed inept referees who were used to officiating lower-calibre amateur events. (Norwegian referee Hans Ronning and his linesmen were unable to stop the fighting, and even left the ice at one point.)
• Critics like Michael Farber blamed Canadian head coach Bert Templeton, who had a history of scuffles among junior teams in his charge. His Canadian junior team had been involved in a pre-game fight with the American squad just three days earlier.
• Don Cherry's commentary on the 1987 brawl boosted his popularity immensely and helped cement his role as Canada's "tell-it-like-he-sees-it" sports celebrity.
World junior hockey brawl: the right thing to do
Medium: Television
Program: The Journal
Broadcast Date: Jan. 5, 1987
Guest(s): Don Cherry, Michael Farber
Host: Barbara Frum
Duration: 5:48
Last updated:
Jan. 4, 2011
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13 clips in this topic . page
World junior hockey brawl: the right thing to do.
The CBC Digital Archives Website.
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Last updated: Jan. 4, 2011.
[Page consulted on Feb. 16, 2012.]