Just enjoy the game!

Hey Don! You said before the Winter Classic game that you would like to see the teams play four on four for the whole game. That would make the game more open. I think to open up the game, the league should make a rule that outdoor games be played on the large European ice. Would that not open up the game a lot? The league could test this idea out and maybe they could play all the games on the big ice surface. Now I think that would really open up the game.
Then the league could have the new biuldings that teams want so much, to be able to play on the big ice surface. This would really open up the game. Now that I would pay to see.

How come Don didn't show his boy Darcy getting pounded by Ruutu? He complains that Ruutu doesn't fight and when he does; Don won't even acknowlege it. Don would probably try to spin it and say what a great team mate Darcy is, and that he "took one for the team" by taking the last 8 punches to the head.

Something has been gnawing at me for about two weeks now. I am a frequent viewer of HNIC, including Coach's Corner. I enjoy the Tet-A-Tet confrontation between Don And Ron. However, this particular broadcast was not amusing to me. Specifically, I was taken-aback by Don Cherry's negative comments directed at First Nations people on Coach's Corner during a mid-December broadcast. Racism experienced on a daily basis by Native Canadians was easily dismissed by Mr. Cherry, and in a swaggering style reminscient of the late John Wayne-- told to quit complaining, and make their own fair shake in life. I can imagine the hurt experienced by Native Canadian viewers of HNIC, apparently their own living rooms proved to be no barrier to the despair and pain experienced by victims of racism. When a person as important and popular as Mr. Cherry make such statements, the victims of racism suffer, the perpetrators of racism celebrate. In subsequent broadcasts no apology from Mr. Cherry has occured, and so I am assuming that his comments were acceptable to the CBC.

Hey Don, my familt and I just got done watching yhe juniors win. It was a great game and both teams played well, and we enjoyed the game untill the end. The end you say? thats when in all our opinions the canadian team had a long,gloatfull celebration.How many times do we need to see a 25 minute celebration. The whole world knows we won but I don't think we look very good doing about 10 diferent dance celebrations. All that big arogant gloating in my opinion ranks right up there with booing the us national anthem. That is only my opinion and am getting sick and tired of Canada doing 25 minute celebrations, please give me a break it was lucky we won.

Yahoo!! Koodos to the Junior team!! We're sooo proud of those boys!! In particular Zach Boychuk, who in fact, played all his minor hockey in Strathmore, NOT in Airdrie, as TSN keeps reporting! Zach was, and continues to be an absolutely impressive individual not only on the ice, but off the ice!! He has always been an honor student along with his twin sister Carissa, who is also a very achieved athlete herself!! The Zach played 1/2 pint hockey through to his 'AAA' midget hockey with the UFA Bisons for 1 year, before moving on to the Lethbridge Hurricanes, where he has been for the past 2 years, where he has been doing extremely well, and we couldn't be prouder! Keep it up Z-man!!

Fabulous outdoor game - though Buffalo deserved the win. Let's have more of them! My husband & I are enthusiastic British Leafs fans who pay an extra premium to our Satellite provider to watch NASN and "Hockey Night in Canada" which is worth every penny
Keep up the good work Mr Cherry, we love you

Hi Don

Here's a thought for 2010 (we might need time for the league to be sold on this). "Hockey Day In Canada" and it's should be called "Back To The Roots"
Game 1 -- Vancouver @ Montreal (2pm E)
Game 2 -- Ottawa @ Toronto (5:30pm E)
Game 3 -- Edmonton @ Calgary (9pm E)
The catch on these historic games is Montreal's 100 year anniversary
Ottawa & Toronto's great rivalry
Edmonton & Calgary's battle of Alberta
and of course. Vancouver and the 2010 winter Olympics. Need we need anymore great feeling of being the hockey nation of the world.
Well there is one more catch Don and perhaps you can work some magic with the NHL and CBC. All games to be played OUT DOORS in the stadiums on the last Saturday before the winter Olympics. This would truly be a new hockey tradition.

Hey Don thanks for coming to OP for the game. Hope you enjoyed it. I miss not seeing you on saturday nights. My husband got a dish so no more hockey night in Canada.
Come on back to Buffalo for some wings my treat!

Great game and coverage, lets have one every year. This is for Don - we here in Parksville, on Vancouver Island, have been running a Classic oldtimers hockey tournament over the past eight years. We now would like to run a World Classic 55+ 60+ 65+ 70+ tournament Sept. 2009. My problem is getting contacts around the world. Have you any suggestions or mailing list of some kind. Thanks, hope to hear from you. Al.

I think the winter classic was just that maybe the powers that be hey if it worked that well in January what about an ALL STAR Game outdoors with some LEGENDS as well A Rookie 4 on 4 game even the skills competetion ???? what do you think some place North like Calgary Toronto Montreal maybe even Winnipeg ????
Hats off to Canada winning the Spengler Cup not bad for a guys just thrown together I hope some of the players get a chance or a call up to some of NHL teams that helped out like Toronto Mr Fergeson Yanick Tremblay and Simon Gamche looked ok maybe even Cujo would get another look. Hey Grapes what do you about an ALL STAR OUT DOORS Never mind the negative stuff.

Don, Why don't the Leafs care about their fans? I hear you over and over explaining there actions. God bless you for being an honest fan, but when will there be accountability from the top where it really belongs? The players didn't chose their team mates or the coach. The coach didn't assemble the team. I am not angry at any of the Leafs. I just don't understand the bloated management structure that has lost touch with all that is special and different about this storied franchise... Please do your best to impress upon them the mantle of importance that they assumed when they became the caretakers for the Leafs!

I hope you read this, Don. I wanted to share one other good point about the outdoor games, although you briefly touched on it by mentioning the bad ice. All those volunteers who make and keep outdoor rinks in shape were probably watching, and were validated by these outdoor games. Who hasn't heard of the greats growing up, playing outdoors and becoming what they did because of these unsung heroes ( rarely seen or thanked) who freeze, curse the frozen hoses, and yet still lovingly have those rinks ready for the next batch of All-Stars. I just got in (2am) now from a game, 3 on 3 with goalies, that was started after the kids went home( okay, we may have had to turn off the lights at 10pm so they would) by one of those guys who I previously spoke, and he definitely deserved his moment. I don't think he would ever had done a selfish thing like this if we hadn't all just watched the Classic, but this will live in his heart every time he thaws the hoses, scrapes the ice the kids left, and he'll be warm in his heart with the sounds of Sid the Kid yelling at the top of his lungs, scoring that Shootout goal as if he just won the Cup. And he'll have 7 other guys to tell him it wasn't selfish, all our kids were in bed, so should those we sent home a little early. Thanx for supporting the troops, and showing our kids the Heart of Hockey!

I know this is Thursday Jan 3rd, but I am watching the Leafs get pounded by the Pens on Center Ice package. Somebody better check on coach after the beating Darcey Tucker just took from Jarkko Ruutu. The Pens announcers basically said this should shut Cherry up about Ruutu. I live in New Jersey and I'm an Avery fan so I enjoyed watching Tucker get hammered myself. Hope coach is okay. Section 416 in Madison Square Garden love Don Cherry and HNIC