Spezza makes great strides as face-off man

Did you see the Buffalo "fan" giving the fingers to the Ottawa players as they were congratulating Alfredson after the game??? that guy should be thrown out of the arena FOREVER! I just hope he's not a hockey dad.

There are so many great young stars to serve well as game scoring talent to win gold for the Olympics in B.C. The OHL produces top talent evey year to help Big O and D for the loaded lines of scorers. The future looks golden in medals. "see you there"
RMP

To T.J. in Kanata...I mean Ottawa,

Kanata is Kanata and Ottawa is Ottawa. It's the way it was and still is, regardless of what your hydro bills indicate. There's Kanata, and 30 minutes later, there's Ottawa. Would you consider Pickering to be Toronto?

TO the CENSORS. I can't believe you're censoring the internet as well. You guys are un-believable! WAY TO GO!

Don,

What the heck are you talking about? That certainly was NOT a "PUSH" Pronger gave Holmstrom. He took 4 or 5 steps and tried to put his head thru the Glass and mount his head like a stuffed "Buck". Get with it, usually you have an idea of what you're talking about but not this time! If Pronger was a goon he'd get 3 or 4 games, but the ridiculous double standard in the NHL has spoken. By the way Grapes, for someone who is adamant about the "Stop" Program...I'm surprised you condon the hit as a push.....it was boarding, checking from behind, charging all in one....and certainly a shot to the head. Your analysis was a joke.

Grapes,

What the hell are you talking about? For someone that's so adamant about the Stop Program 1 game for Proger isn't enough. He takes about 5 steps and tries to put his head thru the Glass! I don't like Holmstrom but to convey to kids "yeah give him a game, what do you do"? Colli's just protecting himself. Doesn't that mean you think the hit was Okay? It certainly was no PUSH!!! It was boarding, charging and checking from behind! Double standard in the NHL is a joke. If that was a goon he's get 3 or 4 games.

If Ottawa played their best on Monday and Buffalo played their worst - and the score was 1:0 for Ottawa on a garbage goal - who is likely the better team?

To John from Sudbury:

"Ron MacLean is correct when saying Kanata rather than Ottawa. It's a suburb of the city, not the city itself."

Sorry, but you've got that one wrong. Kanata is a community within the City of Ottawa. That's what the tax, water and hydro bills all say. There has been no actual 'City of Kanata' now for quite a few years. So they should be saying "from Ottawa".

Denis, that's a huge pet peeve of mine too. Now, I'll let others get back on topic. :-)

Don -
How do you feel about this "thug hockey" approach that is being allowed by Niedermayer and Pronger? Should Homer have to risk life and limb to do his job?

What are your thoughts on these two "thugs"? We've been leaving many messages with Mr. Campbell's office today.

Detroit Red Wings forward Tomas Holmstrom left the ice with a bloody forehead Tuesday night after he was slammed into the glass by Anaheim's Rob Niedermayer and Chris Pronger during the second period of Game 3 of the Western Conference finals.

Holmstrom took stitches to close two cuts and returned to the game for the start of the third period.
Niedermayer, who caught Holmstrom on the left side, was given a major penalty for boarding and ejected from the game in which the Ducks trailed 4-0. Pronger hit Holmstrom from the right, sending the right winger's helmet flying off his head in the Anaheim zone.

Holmstrom, who scored a goal in each of the first two periods, lay flat on the ice for several minutes before being helped to the dressing room by Red Wings trainers.

Pronger wasn't penalized on the play.

Is it just me, or is it getting harder to stay a Leafs fan, and easier to become a Sens fan?

I thought the sens played a great game the other night, and I think they will be even better in game four. Thanks for the memories Buffalo you guys are done. And please for the sake of hockey fans everywherein Canada , stop showing that loser Stephen Harper on tv.

I like the fact that the crowd belts out the Canadian anthem. It doesn't come close to Edmonton of last year but still good. My question is If you're so patriotic why not belt it out all year long?
One last question.
When is Gretz going to bring along the equipment guy from the the Oilers to the Olympics? That guy deserves to go.

Great Show Ron and Don.
To comment on the Ottawa Senators. They are a talented young team and they have done well so far. When they meet Detroit in the finals I think they will be in for a very rude awakening. It will pit rookies against veterans and we all know that Emery is no Hasik. So we'll see who wins the Stanley Cup. Good luck Ottawa you'll need it. And that is all I have to say about that.
Avoir,
A F Armstrong

Don, I wanted to e-mail you directly to let you know that on April 14, my 2 sisters, mother, and sister in law decided we really wanted to visit the Don Cherry Bar in Whitby Ontario, as we have never been to one, and thought we'd watch the Ottawa Sens play New Jersey on the Saturday afternoon.To our amazement the managers at this restaurant chose to be playing the Toronto Blue Jays. Couldn't believe that a Don Cherry Sportsbar was not playing a NHL playoff game- You should fire the manager. Thanks for listening. Don can you give me your direct e-mail, I want to talk to you about something else related to hockey. Thanks-

Don Cherry and his sidekick have just the right amount of comments..in quality and quantity.....And the game play commen0tary from cbc are excellent. VS the play by play commentaries from the tsn are trying to be the game of hockey.!!!!Slow down and shut up to let the viewers enjoy the hockey plays and the players...

Pronger's hit on Holmstrom: After watching replays of the hit -- I swear it looks like Pronger was trying to break his neck -- he had the butt of his stick up right at the base of Holmstrom's skull. The guy should be out of the game. not suspended, out completely

What a cheap shot by Pronger and Niedermeyer on Holstrom! Holstrom was outplaying both of them and they had to tag team Holstrom to hurt him and knock him out of the game. Both Pronger and Niedermeyer showed the ugly side of hockey. If you get outplayed just do your best to hurt a star player. Homer is made of sterner stuff and came back and assisted on the final goal. Both of them should be suspended but the NHL won't do it. Pronger's elbow accidently hit Homer and Niedermeyer didn't mean to hit Homer from behind.

What are you talking about John El-Khouri from Toronto?

Don called Ottawa and Anaheim in the Cup final at the beginning of the first round! How is that not praising Ottawa's run?

I think he was right about the Sabres not showing up. Losing in OT is rough, and being down 2-0 is not so good, but they should have had some more motivation to play on Monday night.

And congratulations to the Senators! Going up 3-0 in the series by shutting out the top scoring team in the league will send a huge psychological statement to the Sabres. Really, they shouldn't show up Wednes night, they will be totally useless. If the score is tied going in to the second period, Ottawa will win.

don cherry when will you retire? I wish I not to see your face on Tv ever again. tx

I'm all for hard hitting hockey, but the league is a complete joke if Pronger doesn't get suspended for 1 game. He's taller than Holmstrom...by about 5 inches! The game was out of hand, went out of his way to put his forarm on Homer's head. Plus, Pronger is known for being dirty. Hit to the head with intent. NHL?

You missed an opportunity to state who would have most enjoyed the 1-0 win by Ottawa. Roger Neilson would tune in from where he could to watch a defensive struggle as he enjoyed the defensive aspects of the game so much. The Ottawa/Buffalo game was a masterful display of excellent defensive hockey period. As Roger would say "What's wrong with a 1-0 game."

i'd vote for Don if he ever ran for public office... yes he is has an opinion and yes there's bias albeit he'll give it to you straight and bear in mind it's a commentary.

Commentary lends to opinion and if you don't like it flick it off or change the station... to no avail Don has great ratings and sells a ton of ads during his air time...

Don for PM

It is great to pick up Coaches' Corner on the CBC website. It has been really difficult to watch the games on Versus. As a NHL Center Ice subscriber, the only games that I will drop plans for are those Saturday night games. Great way to host a party too! Anyways, for the true hockey fans south of the border, it would be better if the Americans could watch CBC's coverage of the game because of the tradition of the program. Bill Clement, Brian Engblom and Keith Jones don't offer anything. It'll never work in the States on TV until they bring back ESPN and Barry Melrose. Miss the good commentary, looking forward to October! In the meantime, it works better to watch hockey on mute and listen to the Twins on radio.

Go Sens!
Love that Morneau guy!

Thank-you Don for the bit for Team Canada. I Love the NHL, but these guys are representing out country and it almost seemes like nobody noticed that they were even playing. My family and I were the only people I know who watched the game on Sunday. So thanks again for helping many hockey fans in Canada see what they missed on Sunday.

Mr. Cherry, i love your suits that you wear on coach's corner, and with my graduation coming up i would like to wear something different then everyone else, where do you get them from or how do you come up with them?

Hey Don,

Just wondering why you only get 5 minutes on coaches corner? I'm a huge hockey
fan (go pens!!),and a huge don cherry fan,and to be honest,if the game that is on
saturday night is a snore I still tune in for the corner because I belive you are the smartest man in hockey.It must be hard to get everything out in the short amount of time that you have,and Ron sitting next to you bugging you about it!! You're the best!!!!!!!

Chris

Wow some of you Sens fans are really getting bent out of shape with regards to Don Cherry's commentaries. John from Toronto is even dragging my beloved Leafs through the ringer! Fact is I'm a Leafs fan but that doesn't stop me from cheering for the Sens. They're a Canadian hockey club after all and a damn good one at that. It doesn't matter what spin D. Cherry puts on it, Sens winning or Sabres losing, the Sens are still getting the W's. Correction; they are earning them. Now, having said that....The Sens aren't just beating the Sabres, they're crushing them with better goaltending and gritty playmaking. Kudos to Alfreddson and Emery. Just a little something to appease you scary Sens fans.

If Don Cherry isn't patting himself on the back for Spezza, he has nothing good to say about the SENS. It's pretty sad that someone who professes to be a proud Canadian just can't praise the only Canadian team going for the cup. Mr Cherry if you can't say anything good about Canada's team, please stay in Toronto and only do coaches corner when the leafs are on the ice.

THE SENS ARE BRING THE CUP HOME!!!
GO SENS GO!!!!!!!

Everybody knows that CBC does not like Ottawa.
Just look at the front of CBC's sports page. Ottawa's win is barely mentioned. They are more interested in Basketball and Detroit. CBC does not upset me anymore because I know where they stand.

TO DON : The eternal flame in front of PARLIAMENT - good place for world champions CANADA to place their GOLD MEDALS .For all of CANADA & CANADIANS to see.

AND THE REST OF THE WORLD !

BOB

Great Job Don, but could you talk to Bob Cole and Harry Neale and set them straight on a couple of things? First of all, our defenseman's name is Meszaros, not Meszarov. He is a Slovac, not a Russian. Mr. Cole must have called him Mesarov at least 10 times.
Harry was also quick to mention shutout-in the second period no less. A deliberate breach of etiquette.

We know these guys like to torment Ottawa fans, but they are now embarrassing themselves.

John El-Khouri,

The premises of your argument carry no support for your conclusion, thus your argument is unacceptable and not valid. Anger Management classes are an option, however, in order to control your emotions.

To Denis in Ottawa,

Ron MacLean is correct when saying Kanata rather than Ottawa. It's a suburb of the city, not the city itself. For those who aren't familiar with Kanata on the map, they can locate it simply by searching for it.

When ever I here O'Canada at the end of a world championship I get 'shivers' down the spine and tears of pride in my eyes. Thank you Don Cherry for replaying that momemt again on coaches corner. It will never get old.

When the Sens play at home why does Ron
always broadcast from Kanata there is no more Kanata it's Ottawa and has been for a few years now. We are the Ottawa Senators not
the Kanata Senators nobody knows where Kanata is on the map.
Please make the correction for the next game....

Sens fan from Ottawa

Hey Don, did you see that hit on steve nash on tonights game? I think that guy deserves another minute on Coach's Corner.

SENS fan through and through! Ottawa's going all the way!!!! Go boys, you're all making me so proud to be a Sens fan and a Canadian!

I am very irritated and I feel as if I have wasted 5 minutes of my life after watching Don Cherry's post game commentary. I am so irritated that I got dressed and I went back to my place of business, where the internet actually works, to write this email. I refuse to listen to another minute of how the Buffalo Sabres did not show up (although Cherry did exclude Miller) and how the Ottawa Senators are taking full advantage.

I think Don can’t hide his bias towards anyone playing against the Senators, just like any other putrid Leaf fan. If the Senators were to put on a jersey with a blue maple leaf on it (only in Toronto will you ever find a blue maple leaf – maybe due to air pollution?) and kept the same personnel on the ice then you would have a completely different outlook on the game from Mr. Cherry. It would no longer be the Sabres losing the games, it would be the Senators (or in this hypothetical scenario the Leafs) that won games 1 through 3.

It bothers me how Cherry can get national air time to spew this garbage. I don’t know if he can’t praise Ottawa’s cup run because he may lose his blue and white followers, or if he is just a die hard leaf fan that gets way too much air time.

So here it is, the Sens will win the cup. Read it and weep leaf fans. I will go on air and state that. I would love the opportunity to offer rebuttals to Cherry’s idiotic commentary. I beg you, just once. Then I would be a happy Sens fan in a sea of low-hockey-knowledge leaf fans.

Thank you for listening, I had to vent.

John

PS I will never, EVER watch the Don Cherry segments again. I my levels of anger get way too out of control.

Mr. Cherry, I am constantly amazed that the CBC continues to air some of your more boorish commentary. However, it is rare for me to get through an installment of Coach's Corner without a smile and a tangible feeling of pride at being Canadian.
Thanks,
Greg Fletcher
Calgary, Alberta

Payback sucks! This is so bitter sweet! Sweeepp Weep Weep Buffalo!

Come on!! Calls from Afghan asking who won? You creatd a MONSTER when you brought the Cup to the War... but you know? I am still waiting for my video clp of when my son was on 'the corner' on May 2 & 3rd (after popular demand). Don, Ron Jeff & Katie... get with it... I have a Mother's oath to fulfil... tick-tock..
Wonderful job all. great comments.. a bientot!

Christine

The Sabres just were out skated, they need to get on the bikes asap. The Sens wanted it more. The Sabres did look aggressive in the last minute but way to late.

Re: Don's comment on Bryan Murray's tie:
Please, no more fashion advice. Yours works for you, but the same can't be said about the rest of us.

Ducks-Wings. Great series I just wish the zebras would decide on how they are going to call the games. So far it seems like penalty de jour.
Anyhow, that goal where Hasek was pushed in should never been counted. Maybe he still would have gone in but he was obviously pushed.
Since they let the goalies get knocked around when the puck is near them, Bertuzzi needs to wake up and run into crease for some wacking fun when he's got the chance!