Canadian troops get special visit in Afghanistan

Please advise how I might purchase hats / shirts in support of our Canadian troops

Many thanks............Jim

I think the troops DESERVE things from home.
Especially when they are DOING SO MUCH for us
overseas.

Don, you're an inspiration of what a true Canadian is. Supportive & no nonsense. Practically all that you say is what my husband says "exactly!" I'm a mom of 2 boys wanting to play hockey and because of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, we might not get to register them. Not only that, but there are some (from what I understand) burocratic red tape that won't allow us to be released from our catchment & register with another suburb, that's having open registration this week! Don, you've had lots of expeience in hockey politics, & I just don't understand why if there's no room in one, why we can't get a letter stating that right away, rather than waiting 1 or 2 months so that the remaining spaces in other areas are all taken too! Please explain this to me, as a want to be hockey mom only because my boys love it, it gets their body's workin' out, they minds sharp for strategy, team spirit, & I truly enjoy watching them. I'm new to this. You're a straight shooter. Is there anything you can do (not for me), but for my boys & I'm sure many more kids out here in the same predicament? I've made the $$ sacrifices for my boys, & I'm planning to make the time constraints too. But when it's so frustrating to get my foot in the door! Please shed some light on this to the rest of Canada. Lets put some pressure on. Aren't our children our most precious commodities/resource? I don't want 'em wondering the streets kickin's a can around for fun! I'm not knocking the olympics, I'm knocking the burocratic BS that's preventing us from registering in a timely manor for another catchment. Thank You! Please be well.
Heidi Adie

Thanks to DOn and the NHLers who went over to give the boys a break. It will be the highlight of their tours tahts for sure.

Sirs,
Thank you for what you did for us that morning. I felt like I was almost home. These simple acts of kindness go along way here. I know that for a lot of us this was the highlight of the tour. I have some great picture that I'll forward to both of you. I just wanted you both to know I appreciated the fact that my wife and son could see me in Afghanistan on Coaches Corner. Keep doing the right thing.... Someone has to.

Mcpl Akpata
Tassk Force Afghanistan
Roto 3

Your thoughtful reporting of our troops has inspired my school, Stratford Northwestern Secondary School,to initiate a program called "Operation Soldier Relief" for our troops in Afghanistan.
We had the honour of having a Canadian soldier visit some of our classes a month ago and he reported on his job to the high school students.

During the question period, a student asked what "we" could do to make the lives of Canadian soldiers more bearable. He suggested sending items such as gum, small tubes of toothpaste and toothbrushes, deordorant and hand wipes as examples.

So as a result, our school is collecting these items over the next couple of weeks and shipping them to Wolselley Barracks in London, where they will send them to the troops.

Student response has been terrific and we are extending this to our local community as well.

Christine Ritsma
Teacher at
Stratford Northwestern Secondary School

Don

Well done !!!!
Ihave been in the forces for 32 year as of this week and I have never see so much support for the troops,as I have in the last 3 years. Your support for the forces, police, fire fighters and other EMS is the best. I am fourth generation army and the same in hockey, so you have had fans in my family from the begining of Coache's Corner. I say this with all great respect "Thanks for the Support" for when I and my friend were there. Many More years on Coache's Corner.

Mike

What will we see next !!!

We have polictations using our fellow canadians to further their carees. The Block Q and NDP using the deaths in Afghanistan too the Block using hockey to say look at me. If they only know that most Canadians see them for what they are and that they are fools to carry on this course. To them I say " grow up and find something else to bring to the political table and maybe Canadians will start lisening to you!" With this being said, do they really think they diserve the raise they propose ?

Don your support of the troops means so much to us thank you so much for the support your the man!!!! GO SENS GO!!!!!!!!!

Mr Cherry, I am the mother of two soldiers, one of whom was there in Afghanistan last year and one who is there now with Hotel Company. May I just say Thank you for you support for our troops? My son sent me a picture last year with a Don Cherry cutout, posed with 8 guys and that has been on my computer ever since. Unfortunately one of the guys were killed and my son was wounded along with 2 others. I know how important it is to them to have your support so on their behalf and mine THANK YOU SO MUCH, it means everything to us. My son that is over there now has me watching coach's corner to see if I can see him , again thank you because as you can imagine when they are so far from home, any little glimpse is so worth it.

Don Cherry would have NEVER....

As the NJ players and coaches entered the ice tonight (May 5).. it was very disapointing to see the NJ coach walk by a group of kids with their hands out to him looking only for his regognition.. he paid NO attention to them..

Don Cherry would not have done this..

Shame on the NJ coach.. not a great example for the kids... who are by the way fans.. AND.. no fans .. no hockey.

Kids deserve respect, even if it is just a nod of the head as you pass by.
Show him how it is done DON!!!

Bravo Don Cherry. Your unwavering support of our men and women in uniform (CF, Police, Fire) is truly amazing. Keep up the great work.

It looked to me as if the heat was supposed to be on Hockey Canada for choosing as captain a fellow who was involved in this insulting a minority incident. But Hockey Canada has been hugely successful in shifting it all off their shoulders on to the player in question.
A glance at the Team Canada roster suggests that this team captain doesn't have to speak anything other than English to any of his team mates anyway.

Just when the "mission"to use our military to help the USA pacify the Pashtun in southern Afghanistan is in political trouble over possible Geneva Convention violations, among other doubts, the master of pr and of increasing the military's market share, General Hillier, pops up over there with the Stanley Cup and a bunch of ex NHLers. And during the playoffs, too! Man, he sure got a lot of media coverage on this one. Should swing public opinion his way several polling points. I really liked his "Gee-whiz- it's-just-a-ball-hockey-game" pitch, and the way he used the other ranks as a back drop...priceless.
(I guess I missed it when the Stanley cup and the NHLers visited Bosnia, and other places that our troops have been stationed.)

First off, I would like to say that the politicians certainly have more important things to worry about than spouting off about Shane Doan. Secondly, Mr. McLean and Mr. Cherry, could you tonight please say hello to our son, Ryan Deane, a member of the military police at Kandahar Air Field. He played against the NHL Alumni the other day and called home to say he would be watching the game tonight. He is stationed in Ottawa when he is back in Canada. He and the other servicepeople are doing a great service for our country during trying times. Thank you Ron and Don. Bill and Lynn Deane
PS: I am still refereeing hockey and have been for 36 years and thank you for your commitment to us all on HNIC

I have been a Don Cherry fan all my life.
Hey Don, when are you going to release the old "Grapevine" shows on DVD? We'd all love to buy them!

Don, you are absolutely right about the Shane Doan smear campaign being waged by the classless MPs. God bless the Canadian troops and Canada!

Cherry: 'What are they worried about.. the French language' You're right, it doesn't matter, we should all just speak english...
Sorry for existing Canada.

I have been a big hockey fan for years. My first experience with hockey was as a goal judge when I was 8 or 9 years old. I did not know anything about the game of hockey back then. My next experience with hockey was in about 1967 when NBC TV started to broadcast the hockey game of the week. I watched it no matter what was going on. Sometime after that I was at my grandparents house over Christmas break listening to a transistor radio that I had. I was listening to a hockey game from the Detroit radio station WJR. When I moved where I live now I did not have cable TV. Now I have cable TV. That was in 1983. I have watched hockey on ESPN and NBC and CBC. I am still hoping that a team from Canada will win the cup.
I was born with Cerebral Palsy on my right side. I can not skate or anything like that but I can watch TV and root for my favorite teams.
I would like to know how I can get in contact with the two Canadian Forces men that were on the TV talking to Don Cherry and Ron Mclaine.

Thank you,
Jim Pankey
jimpankey@chartermi.net

god bless don chery & the cbc for standing up for the best of canada

As an American and avid hockey fan I try and always get Coaches Corner. Reading about politicians grabbing onto a non event to further their careers, I wonder if Al Sharpton is behind the scenes orchestrating the contretemps.

I enjoy watching Coach's Corner with Don and Ron. I get very interested when they talk about the military and police and post the pictures of members. I have one problem with this, we as military and police personnel don't make enough money for the jobs we do. I wonder sometimes what pro hockey players as any pro sports players think about us as law enforcement agencies? We fight for wages, our country and protect people but we make 65000.00 a year and they make millions and still cry for more money. We cannot even get arise. The House Commons on Doan!!They should worry about our county and not worry about what Doan said. They don't worry what about a every day person says about being tax to death but they spend time worrying about what Doan said or don't say. Don, I know you love us as peacekeepers I just wish someone would listen to you when you say we desire more money for the jobs we do. We put our lifes on the line everyday to protect people and our country and pro sports are making millions from our protection and us pennies.. Penny for my thougts. Thanks Dee

I agree with S. Parker and Carl that this type of propagandizing should have no place in the coverage of sport. But sadly, professional sport is nothing more than organized propaganda, faithfully supported by dominant interests because it keeps people distracted. Asking hockey Canada to be accountable is not out of line with the functions of a parliamentarian, and should really be applauded because it does stand in the face of a dominant cultural mindset that refuses to recognize hockey and Hockey Canada as political tools.

There is no problem with playing hockey or being a hockey fan. In fact, organized sport does a good job of creating community and building social networks. What fans, players, and outsider observers need to understand is that organized professional sport is not pure sport. It is not simply some guys getting together to play shinny. It is corporate, it has an agenda, and it is increasingly less about sport and more about politics (both the politics of governance and the politics of everyday life in a capitalist society).

Sadly, the combining of a military agenda with a sport agenda makes perfect sense when one considers we have a government that is not willing to have a serious and extended debate about the function of our military and the role we have to play in Afghanistan. To question the military's role is not to criticize individual soldiers, but is rather a question of effectiveness in a changing world. Hiding behind the rhetoric of sport and nationalism does diservice to all of those who serve in the military by reducing them to symbols and objects. Instead of praising Don Cherry for showcasing soldiers, you should really be asking why the forum of televised sport is one of the only places where the public sees the work of Canadian soldiers.

Very impressive segment of Coaches Corner and it makes you proud to be a Canadian for sure. The troops need a boost and congratulations to Hockey Night in Canada and the the NHL Alumni for giving them a boost. You can see it in their faces and in their speech that this improved the morale of the troops. How anyone can find this offensive (S. Parker) is beyond me. As well, on the Shane Doan comment, lets move on and start spending tax dollars on more important issues. Shane Doan is sacrificing for his country too, in a different way.

There are so many contraversal goals in this years playoffs, why can't the NHL do one of two things. Make the puck like a curling rock and put a device on it so when it crosses the goal line a light comes on. In this day in age you would think this should not be a problem with computers and all. The other is simply to mount the goal camera right in the cross bar of the net on the underside and make it flush with the post for the optimum view.

DEAR DON, AS A MEMBER OF THE CORNWALL ROYALS ..MEMORIAL CUP CHAMPIONS 1972 WHICH INCLUDED A FRIEND OF YOURS, JOHN WENSINK,WHO SAVED MY LIFE MANY TIMES, WE PLAYED THROUGH 16,000 FRENCH SUPPORTERS OF THE QUEBEC RAMPARTS "SCREAMING"
ENGLAIS, ENGLAIS, ENGLAIS" !!!!! THIS WAS FOLLOWING THE YEAR BEFORE THAT THE ST. CATHARINES BLACK HAWKS FOREFITTED THE SERIES DUE TO VIOLENCE FROM THE QUEBEC FANS. I WONDER WWHAT WOULD HAPPEN TODAY IF THAT WOULD HAPPEN N "ENGLAIS CANADA". FORTUNATELY WE WEATHERED THE STORM AND WENT ON TO WIN THE MEMORIAL CUP. SHOULD YOU NEED CONFIRMATION OF THIS E-MAIL PLEASE CONTACT JOHN WENSINK, BOBBY MURRAY, KEVIN TRACEY. THESE GUYS WERE GOOD!! JOHN NAZAR 1972 MEMORIAL CUP CHAMPION.....OFFENDED.!!!

Mr Cherry, i went aboard the HMCS Halifax docked in Oshawa this week. It was a pleasure to visit the vessel. Those guys do a great job for the country. They have your bubble head on their equipment.

Sir, i appreciate all the support you gave to our troops,

All the best,

Frank Robertson, terminal manager for Oshawa Stevedoring.
I will like to post those pictures!

Just to let you know I appreciate the extra effort you give by reminding Canada about our troops. My nephew is overseas in Afghanistan and was selected to play in the ball hockey game against the past NHLer's.What a boost to him and the troops over there. He was so excited to meet them and that they took the time to come over and do what they could for the troops.
Also, you will never know what it means to the family and friends that are awaiting their safe and speedy return.
Looking forward to seeing them on T.V. tonight.
Thank you again for thinking of the many Canadian troops that are still there and also remembering the ones we lost.
Stay Safe

What a joke. This idiot is paid to tie up tax payers money on crap like this. Atta make Canada look stupid,stupid.

Hey S.Parker, don't watch the show then, that's one of the freedoms that soldiers like them (and myself) defend...feel free to use it.

The Bloc and Liberal MP’s that are using Team Canada captain Shane Doan to further their political careers and/or make themselves “almost famous” are making this side of the county sick.

You clowns cannot realize that you’ve single handing picked out a true Canadian who goes out every time he’s called upon to represent our country and always plays with pride. You might as well have called Wayne Gretzky a racist if you finger this waste of time and money on Shane Doan.

Shane Doan alike the rest of the Team Canada representatives will leave their families behind for several weeks, even though their regular season ended, just so they can give their best effort we all know they can give as professional hockey players.

I cannot believe the opposition parties of Canada sleep well at night fully knowing hard working taxpayer’s dollars are being wasted creating parliamentary committees to challenge Hockey Canada officials on their choice of a captain.

This nonsense should have never made it this far, this should have ended at “sticks and stones….”. How embarrassing this is to be a Canadian. Bloc MP Luc Malo and his cheesy separtist leader Gilles Duceppe, are lucky Bob Nicholson didn’t loose his mind on camera and knock their chicklets out of their mouth.

Stephen Srubowich
Chestermere, AB

830-3705

I was wondering how I might get Mr Cherry to say a kind word to my mother who is a Senators fan and who watches every game hoping they beat the daylights out of the other team ( especially if it is Montreal )

She is 90 years old, and her sister is 96, both live in Ottawa and they are the neices of Edgar and Ted Dey , the original owners of the Silver Seven. They knew the players back then and in fact Eddie Gerard married into the family. So you see they are good Senator's fans ... my mother is Isabel ( Laing) Macfie, and my aunt is Jessie ( Laing) Smith thier mother was Beatrice Dey

Mr Cherry it would certainly be appreciated if you could work in a hello one night that you are working a Ottawa game.

Thank you

Thanks so very much Mr. Cherry for being The Absoulte BEST EVER !!!!!

Answer to Scott Graham : i'm a QUEBECER and you don't have to kiss my feet...a racist slur is just that...a racist slur...From the mouth of a politician, hockey player, your neighbour...It must be condemmed...Doan has been innocented by the league...let's move on...Forward, not backward...That how they got it in Ottawa...backwards...as always...GO SENS...

Great show, Gob bless for the hockey comments, and God bless for the CANADIAN Troops.

Thanks for the alumni for taking the time to go and visit the troops, it is not a 4 hour flight. My brother is over there right now and he sent me a email about the players and Stanley Cup. This is waht should be in the media , instead of some lame politicians comlaining about who is the captain of our greatest sport. Shame on you, and the time you have to waste, I sure wish I could complain about a topic that 99.9 % of Canadians care about, and collect a pension after 6 years(I would call it service, but you would have to do something productive). By the way is Quebec even a part of Canada anymore? I could go on, but this is about our troops who deserve our attention, god bless you all and come home safe after your job is completed. And all of Canada please wear red on Fridays.

Considering many people from Quebec don't consider themselves to be Canadians, how could any of this be considered an insult? They don't want to be part of our great country, so why the concern? I don't understand why we are expected to kiss the feet of this province, when there are 9 other provinces and 3 territories which DO actively contribute to the country. I say scrub them, and let them form their own country and hockey league.
And how is this a political concern?? This reminds me a lot of the alleged Gretzky gambling debacle. Right before the Olympics, the US comes up with this scam, to try and distract our players from taking the Gold.
Maybe our players are just too talented for their own good.....

Don, Ron & CBC,

I was so excited to see my brother on the TV last night. None of us knew that was going to happen. It felt like he was right here with us. He was the one wearing the black Sens jersey... he definitely stood out!

I'd like to receive a copy of Coaches Corner as well as the 2nd intermission segment where my brother was shown again.

For everything that our troops have and are still doing for us... I know how special that was for them and how much it meant to them. Keep up the great work!!!

I was sitting right next to the girl with the "Don Cherry for Prime Minister" sign. I'm on the left of her when you're looking at the picture!

how about tying the French connection and the troops into one string. The government of Canada and nine of the Provinces recognize the risks involved in sending our troops to hazardous arenas by making the pay and allowances received while posted to these areas tax free. The Province of Quebec which profits the most by having the military bases does not extend this same recognition. The men get taxed on the full amount.

Thanks Don for supporting the troops in Afghanistan!!!! I support them 100%!!!!

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You - We Canadians need to be more patriotic and thankful, including all our new immigrant Canadians that continue to make Canada a great country. All Canadians are proud of our Military Men and Women serving in Afghanistan and all that have served around the world before them. Especially those that made the ultimate sacrifice for their Country we are deeply humbled.
Lets bring back Pledging Allegence to our Flag in all school systems. Lets be a proud nation once again indivisible. No Matter what color, race or religion WE ARE ALL PROUD CANADIANS. Why is that so difficult to understand and foster in our children?
As for Shane, I have no doubt he blurted that comment out in the heat of the moment. The NHL Dealt with it 2 Years ago, TURN THE PAGE !!!!!!
Our politicians need to focus on issues far far more important like paying full price for meals, haircuts and shoe shines at Parliment Hill and Senate Appointments to the public Trough.

Hope we see more of our troops again on Coaches Corner they absolutely deserve it.

A Proud Canuk

Why the issue of on ice comments by Shane Doan even became a political issue is beyond me. As a Canadian living abroad, it just amazes me that that the Political Officials that have been elected by the people and for the people have dedicated this much time, energy, and financial resources to this topic. Keeping in mind where those financial resources come from, I think most Canadians would agree that these dollars could be better spent on the real needs of the country.

The fact that the Bloc has managed to gather enough support from the other parties in the House to even warrant any kind of investigation or commission to look into this matter should be a sign to all Canadians that they may want to re-think some of their decisions in from the last election!

I still love to play hockey today, and one of the qualities that has made hockey one of the best-loved sports in the country is its ability to separate between on-ice and off-ice relationships. It is the only game where you can get fired up at the challenger or the officials, and when it comes time for a cold beer after the game, those emotions come down to just: “Good game… Let me buy you this one, Cheers!!”

Let’s get the politicians out of the game of hockey. They have no business in it. Maybe if we were to put Cherry and MacLean in the House with Lanny, Tiger, Bobby H, Gordie, Ted Lindsay and add couple of Sutter boys or Bobby Clarke to clean up in the corners… the rest of these “politicians” would learn a little something about life, respect and what is important. The Bloc and other politicians need to stop spending the taxpayer’s dollars with these unnecessary commissions. At the end of their lives, these hockey legends will be remembered as part of the Canadian Legacy and Heritage... Will the names of the Politicians involved in this commission be remembered? That being said… Let’s go get a beer now. I'm buying!

I'm down in Texas going to school and cannot watch the full HNIC broadcasts. I do get to watch Coach's Corner online, though, and it never fails to give me a taste of home.

Don and Ron, your support of the troops is the greatest. These are great men and women and they deserve all our support. They believe in what they are doing and they need us to support their mission.

We had word last night that one of the dads from the 2006 STU Junior Tommies team might be on Coach's Corner. So I set the VCR (yes, we still use one of those things) and waited. But what I didn't realize was that Tom Charette was actually going to be ON Coach's Corner!!!!
WAY TO GO TOM!!!!
It was nice of Tom to let Don, Ron and Gen. Hillier join him for a bit of Hockey Night in Afghanistan.
My son was on the Junior Tommies team with Tom's daughter last Spring and my husband was their coach. Tom is a great guy with an amazing and lovely wife and his girls are very good hockey players. I nearly cried when he held their hockey cards up for all the country to see!!
We keep Tom and his 'team' in our thoughts and prayers and are VERY happy to have seen him go have a chat with The Don.

Thanks for jumping on this Don. If the politicians who are wasting everyone's time and money had an ounce of Shane Doan's character they wouldn't be whining about a non-issue and actually do some work. Canada is a great country but also weak. The P.M. should be able to say this isn't happening and get everyone back to reality. Trying for political gain on the back of a hockey player who hasn't done anything wrong? Ridicule as they say in La Belle Province. The entire House of Commons owes Shane Doan and the rest of Canadians an apology and should be docked pay for their failure to focus on real work.

WOW. Outstanding segment...... thanks.

Please come on already. Enough of the war-mongering: not everyone who watches hockey is brain-dead. There is no connection between hockey and war! What a joke.

My son just contacted me from Afganastan. He thinks you have covered the compition very well. It is a break for the men. My son is in the US army. He is a commander and is having a great time with his men playing hockey.

It is a well deserved break.
Thanks

To inform Ron MacLean, the Sens play in Ottawa and not in Kanata. The City of Kanata does not exist anymore since almagation with the City of Ottawa now more than 5 years ago.

NBC has Brett "where is my ham sandwich" Hull, TSN has Jeremy "I'm the biggest egomaniac in the world" Roenick and CBC takes the time to show hockey fans what it is really all about.

Great Coach's Corner! Thanks Don and Ron. All the best to the troops on a safe return.

Hi, It was a great game and a great couch corner. After the 2nd peroid when you went to Canada House I was so excited because there was a friend of mine. He is one of the many civilians who is working with the military in Kandhar. Is it possible to find that clip? Unfortunately, his wife missed it and would love to see him. Thank you.

Don@Ron
Thank you Ron Don hockey night in canada and the CBC i got to see my son tonight yes he was the one with Gen.Hillier Tom Charette who is an avid Sens fan also his wife and two girls got to see him now how do i get a copy so i can cherish this moment every year when the Stanley Cup is competed for GO SENS GO
again THANK YOU THANK YOU a thounsand times THANK YOU
Andre Charette
10 Edgebrook Rd.
Ottawa On.K2H 6C3

Let Canada get on with the mission whether it is Afghanistan or the Hockey Worlds. Keep up the good work Don.

I love seeing ya on Coach's Corner.I live in Taiwan.I teach English.I miss hockey and the playoffs.I'm from Ottawa.Watching the playoffs every morning.I hope all is well in Canada!GO SENS GO!
Chris Belliveau
Taiwan

grapes, i think you are a great guy and love the show. i agree with you most of the time, think what probert didto kandahar was a huge, brave, and thoughtful thing to do. what an awesome guy along with rest of the guys they deserve more credit

It is offensive to have this kind of blatant politicking happening in a sports event.
Don Cherry is over-stepping his mandate by making political statements about Canadian troop deployment and events in Afghanistan.
This whole Stanely Cup visit is a photo op for bolstering the Bush administration's stance, and the Conservative government's political position and it is inappropriate to have a Sports Commentator like Don Cherry involved in political issues. His job is supposed to be commenting on the game.
It is another example of the media being manipulative and cbc is supposed to be public television. I found the whole thing offensive.
S. Parker

Hi Don,

The Girl holding up the sign nominating you for Prime Minister is Sarah Durham, and thats her husband Wade sitting next to her. They are such big Sens and Coaches Corner fans they left home at 4 am, on game day to make the 2 hour drive to Winnipeg, and the 3 hour flight to Ottawa to be there.

The Shane Doan issue raised by the politicians made me so angry I had to write the political leaders and remind them that they have very little credibility left with the Canadian public and making this a political issue has just about exhausted it all for me. I have to thank Shane for representing our country. Those who can't do become politicians

Don is right on the money as usual.

Now, sorry but I have to complain about the officiating in the Sharks/Detroit series. I'm not saying the calls are one way. BUT, I thought the NHL wanted to get rid of the clutch and grab? The league rather call a penalty if someone's stick is next to someone's side (which doesn't impede the play at all) rather than eliminate the clutch and grab. Does everyone notice how low the scoring is? I don't mind a low scoring game if it's back and forth. Welcome back NJ style again!

i am a CANADIAN.
I am a hockey fan.
Everyone,in the playoffs hopes there team will
do it in four.(did i say i am a sens fan).
YOU are our team.people may wounder why you are still there?.You are the one who knows,what it will take.You have played our game You have played well, with with heart.
Only You cant tell us is it going to take 4 or 7.WHEN You have done all you can come home.
You are Our champs..(Go CANADA GO ).THANKS .
for doing what you do..

First of all, nice job on the Afghanistan coverage. The troops have my support.

Now, about Shane Doan. He did get a 10 minutes misconduct so he had to say something. What he said is the source of the debate. But I can't understand why FOUR officials who have been around this league for a while would just make that stuff up just to "tarnish" Doan's reputation. What's to gain? Nothing.

Of course the league swept the issue under the carpet, I mean they've been doing that for ages. I'm more inclined to believe officials who have nothing to gain by complaining than one player who changed his statement from "I didnt say anything" to "it was four French guys in Montreal".

Even if he just said that, I thought you didn't like whiners Don? Seems like whining to me. Have never heard a Francophone Habs player whine about the fact that there is four Anglophone officials in games in Toronto... even though it happens on a regular basis.

That being said, is it the job of politicians to tackle these issues? Probably not. But Hockey Canada should have known Doan was controversial recently and picked a better choice. Besides, he's not that good of a player and leader, and his performance at the Olympics was quite ordinary (if not for the fact that he was playing for Gretzky, he would never had made the team).

*Smile* how very funny because my son is also in Afghanistan and watching Coaches Corner with my family we were sure Christine Bechard's son was MINE.... although disappointed after to learn from my son that he was seen in the 2nd intermission (which I missed) in the Canada House . BUT it was GREAT to see all the soldiers just the same...I am proud of them ALL ...be ever so safe & GOD watch over them.

I am sure there are many opinions of the Shane Doan issue,but the bottom line is where do the politicians fit into hockey canada do they not have enough to do or are they finished screwing up our country. I dont believe that they should judge someone unless they are willing to look in the mirror
These people bicker,lie and bash each other every day. NICE JOB ON THE AFGANHISTAN COVERAGE GUYS

Great touch with the segment including our troops from Afghanistan. We need more patriotism, and that's a great way of showing it.

Game note... Chris Neil was on FIRE! He deserved to be part of the 3 stars. Yeah, Spezza, Heatley and Alfredsson played great, but that's expected and really, what name kept coming up during the game? Neil.

Devils will be golfing next week.

GO SENS GO ... GO SENS GO

Martin

Don I have watched you for many years and think you are great, but tonight you are the greatest. I got to see my son in Afghanistan. He was sitting on the lav close to the Stanley cup. I know you made his night also. It was just so great to see him and know he is OK and looks good. I think they had to bribe him to wear an Ottawa shirt however, as he is an avid Toronto Maple Leaf fan. My phone hasn't stopped ringing all night as many of his friends and relatives at home also saw him. Is there any way I could get a copy or two of tonight's broadcast ? Don, I would like to thank you and CBC for your support of our troops and your kind words. You made a Mom and Dad very proud and happy tonight. Thank-you - Thelma Moore

Thanks for Honouring our troops. My daughter patted my shoulders lovingly while I held back tears when the Daughters' hockey cards were held up. That type of thing seems to happen each time you Honour these fine young men. Please keep up the good work. Our Men and Women in Afghanistan & Don & Ron.

What? ;-) 's that Ron?

Oh Sorry, Pardon Me Don

I Do Know better. ;-)

The young 'uns will hopefully learn since we can't beat em anymore ;-)

Only insecure people would worry about this. Come on -- you are better than this -- lets get on with playing together and winning together.

Hi Guys, thanks for bringing the troops to us tonight. We are half a world away but tonight, they were closer to heart tonight than ever. I'm glad they are able to join us in our home and us to join them in the field.

And Grapes, thanks for speaking for me when tragedy strikes our military family. The troops were cheering GO SENS GO tonight but I was going cheering for them too.

GO TROOPS GO!

Your comments regarding the Frenchgate in Ottawa on tonights segment were clearly biased and misleading. I agree with most of what you say about hockey, but when it comes to political issues, you should be a bit more careful (although we all know this is not your type). The victim, as you say it, is not the referee, but all of hockey. I agree with you on this : it's a shame that it had to go to Ottawa... but isn't that the absurd proof that the NHL did nothing about it for the last 100 years. Hockey is the greatest sport on this planet, and we should be proud of everything it symbolizes and we should defend its values deeply. This is the one true team sport, and everybody in Canada is part of that team, no matter what language used. Shane was wrong, and it's time somebody did something about it Don, and it won't be you unfortunately.

There was, at one time, a rule, where the goalie could not kick pass the puck with his stick. Is the rule still in effect and if so, why didn't Brodeur get a penalty?
Tks, Ed

I enjoy watching "The Coaches Corner" I think that Ron MacLean and Don Cherry do a great job. You guys tell it like it is and I think that's what the audience likes to hear. (At least that's what I want to hear). This segment in Afghanistan was great. The troops need everyones support.
"May God Bless Our Troops"
Pam

Well Done Men and Women!

OH MY GOD!!! THANK YOU DON!!! I just got to see my SON IN AFGHANISTAN!!!!

Thank you BOTH OF YOU!!! He was the one to the right of the cup DRESSED ACCORDINGLY in his SENS SHIRT!!!

I can't believe that you allowed this WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY TO US BACK HOME!!!

OK Don, so how do I get a copy, so I have something to remember the thoughtfullness of CBC for doing this?

Christine Bechard
66 rue de la cascade
Val-des-Monts, Qc
J8N 7N4