Although he may be retired from broadcasting, Don Cherry, at 90 years old, still shares his takes on hot topics across the NHL on his podcast, Don Cherry's Grapevine.
Over the weekend, one of the main debates among the hockey community was about Ryan Reaves' hit on Darnell Nurse during Saturday night's game between the Edmonton Oilers and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Reaves came in at full speed towards Nurse, who was controlling the puck in his zone, trying to organize a transition. He skated with his head down, and Reaves hit him right on the head with his shoulder.
Reaves was ejected from the game and Nurse retreated to the locker room, injured.
Check out how it went down:
The NHL Department of Player Safety shared its ruling on Sunday afternoon, confirming Reaves is suspended for five games.
Not everyone agreed with the length of the suspension, but for Don Cherry, this is what he expected.
He even predicted Reaves would be suspended five games in his latest podcast, recorded on Sunday morning:
Cherry added that in his time, no player would put himself in the position Nurse was, as they knew they would be hit:
Of course, Cherry is renowned for his old-school style. The scene he describes doesn't happen often these days, and as we saw with Reaves' suspension, the NHL won't have it.
POLL | ||
Do you think Darnell Nurse put himself in a vulnerable position for Ryan Reaves' hit? | ||
Yes | 164 | 75.2 % |
No | 54 | 24.8 % |
List of polls |