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Don
Cherry says fighting will
always be part of hockey,
but players need to show
respect for one another.
The
Hockey Night in Canada
personality responded to the
increasing debate over
whether fighting should be
banned from the game on
Saturday night during his
Coach's Corner segment.
"I do
not believe in two guys just
going out [and fighting] for
the sake of getting my team
going. It's gotta be
natural," Cherry said. |
"It'll always be in the game. You're
honourable. You do not be a bully.
You do not hit smaller players."
Ron MacLean of HNIC said there
have been calls of late for automatic
game ejections and suspensions for
second and third offences as it relates
to fighting in the National Hockey
League.
The outcry stems from the recent death
of a senior hockey league player from
Port Perry, Ont.
Don Sanderson, a 21-year-old defenceman
for the triple-A Whitby Dunlops of the
Ontario Hockey Association, died Jan. 2
after going into a coma following a
fight with Corey Fulton of the Brantford
Blast on Dec. 12.
Both players fell to the ice but
Sanderson, who had earlier lost his
helmet in the tussle, hit the ice with
the back of his head and fell into a
coma.
League rules state that helmets approved
by the Canadian Standards Association
must be worn and fastened securely with
a chin strap.
Ontario Hockey League commissioner David
Branch said he believes responsibility
for players' safety lies with hockey
organizations.
Police
probe on-ice death
Police in Brantford have opened an
investigation into Sanderson's death,
but the NHL has indicated it has no
plans to change its rules on fighting in
the aftermath of his death.
Cherry was one of hundreds of family
members, friends and teammates to attend
Sanderson's funeral on Jan. 5 and talked
to the player's father, Michael
Sanderson.
According to Cherry, Sanderson told
Fullerton to continue playing hockey and
if someone is looking for trouble, to
not hesitate to drop the gloves and
fight.
"That's hard for people to believe,"
Cherry said Saturday. "Mike is a
hockey guy. He coaches hockey, he
teaches hockey. All his life he's
been in hockey. If two guys want
to [fight], that's it."
Cherry is also bothered by recent
comments from Toronto Maple Leafs head
coach Ron Wilson, who apparently said
there is no code in the NHL for
fighting.
"He said 'We tell [tough guy André]
Deveaux not to fight, he doesn't fight.'
He says [Deveaux] goes out and bangs the
skill guys. That is the worst
thing. You don't do things like
that. That's not honourable.
You have to be honourable.
"I never believe [in] having a mad dog
sitting on the bench [getting] two or
three shifts and going [on the ice to]
fight. If you can't play and take
a regular shift in the game on the third
and fourth line, you should not be in
hockey." |
