Don Cherry is a Clown

I'm sure by now you've seen or read about Don Cherry's comments about Alex Ovechkin's exuberance, but if you were, like me, off-line this weekend, then here they are.

This is beyond idiotic. The "Canadian Way". The "Soccer Guys". It's called enthusiasm. His rant is absolutely asinine. The Capitals play an exciting brand of hockey, despite some flaws, and do it with style and enthusiasm. Apologies to Don Cherry if he thinks Ovie is a "goof", as if every hockey player should adhere to the Canadian farm boy ethic of keeping his head down and doing his hard work in anonymity.

It's a load of rubbish, is what it is. Defending Sidney Crosby, the nut-busting, cheap-shotting crybaby that he is and denouncing Alex Ovechkin, the greatest player in the world because he plays with passion and unbridled enthusiasm. Pathetic.

The really damaging part though is when he basically challenged any anonymous Canadian farm boy defenseman to "get him good" one time, as if Cherry was mandating an attack on Ovechkin, to defend the "Canadian Way". He basically called for Ovechkin's head. Bush league.

"I'm going to tell you about this guy: He's got a free ride. He runs at guys, does this stuff," Cherry said. "I am predicting somebody's going to get him. And somebody's going to get him good. There's somebody out there - some big defenseman is going to be sitting in the weeds. As he cuts across center ice, somebody's going to cut him in half."

Those words are irresponsible.

There was a time and a place for Don Cherry, but his expiration date has clearly run out. He's now been reduced to making outlandish, ridiculous statements solely to hear himself talk, and his opinions are just as clownish as the costumes that he wears.

For their parts, Ovechkin and coach Bruce Boudreau handled Cherry's comments with grace and, in Ovie's case, trademark humor.

"He's a funny guy and old guy. He likes old-fashioned hockey. He's not interesting to me, so he can say whatever he wants. I don't care about him," Ovechkin said.

It's good that Ovechkin can take the high road in this. But I don't have to.

Don Cherry is a clown.