Cherry Is Not The Reason Why Hits To The Head On The Rise

With the rise of hits to the head in hockey, one doctor - surprise, surprise - has decided it’s all Don Cherry’s fault.

“He’s a negative influence,” Dr. Charles Tator told CBC News in reference to Cherry, a popular personality on Hockey Night in Canada. “The aggressive, lack-of-respect hockey that he preaches — we need to get that out of the game.”

This is total and utter bull shit. Cherry DOESN’T do this. I’ve never ever seen him condone dirty play. In fact, it’s the opposite. People mistake and equate his tolerance for fighting for accepting dirty play. This is a logical fallacy of course.

Cherry commands a lot of attention but he doesn’t create the mode of play for hockey. He simply reflects what the sport has been all along: a physical if not violent fast-paced game in constant motion.

More than any influential hockey commentator, he constantly and consistently gives tips on how to avoid injuries and dirty play. His insights are outstanding from how to position yourself in the corners to avoid getting hit from behind to using the right equipment. He offers details in the game, like how to block a shot, no whiny hockey writer who hates him does.The doctor comes dangerously close to asserting Cherry doesn’t care about players. Again, to anyone with a moderate mind, this is far from the reality.

I find the writers and doctors like this guy who keep attacking him, do so with very little merit. They’re preying on the messenger while giving little thought to the message. I don’t see them offering suggestions about the state of the game as Cherry does. Loathe they may Cherry, but more often than not he’s right.

Cherry is an easy target. He’s bombastic (and does go overboard from time to time which is part of his appeal. His honesty is what attracts people. What don’t critics understand about this?) but it’s not a zero-sum game when it comes to his commentaries. What you see is not necessarily what you get with him. It’s a little more nuanced.

If anyone should get any blame it’s the NHL ITSELF. Its ability to come down hard on hits to the head is contradictory if not downright abysmal. The league must SEND A CLEAR MESSAGE about this issue. Cherry has nothing to do with this. The game is evolving before our eyes and we’re better off examining the conditions and circumstances that lead to dangerous play.

For example, the game is so fast that sometimes what seems to be a dirty play isn’t. A slight,instant pivot by one player is the difference between avoiding a check and getting their face smashed.

The thought that Cherry is some sort of evil nutcase telling kids and pros to go out and hit to the head is patently false and absurd.