Archive for March, 2010

Unfortunately, the Mystery eBay Purchase did not arrive today, so it will have to wait until next week. Just as well because this week’s Friday Bruin is, in my opinion, quite relevant to the current state of the Bruins team. But before I get into that, let me just say a little something about the 09-10 Bruins team.

I write these Bruins entries the night before. In a couple of hours, the Penguins will step onto the ice in Boston. We all know about the Cooke hit on Savard, the absurdity of there being no-call or suspension, and the fact that not a single Bruin seemed to take umbrage of the fact when it happened. See, this team is lifeless and soulless. Tonight’s game will determine if I follow this team for the remainder of the season or not. If Cooke is not dealt with IMMEDIATELY, this team has given up. And why should I continue to support a team that does not care? Ideally, I would love for Crosby to get taken care of (sorry Sid, but our best player gets taken out and you have to pay for the sins of your teammate) and then Cooke. Will Julien do anything, I don’t know. This leads me to Don Cherry. If Don Cherry were coaching right now, Cooke would have been dealt with when the hit happened AND tonight. Hopefully by the time you read this, the Bruins will have won and Matt Cooke will be a pummeled pile of hockey player. And if Crosby has a few less teeth, then so be it. Now, onto Grapes!

Don Cherry loves the Bruins; it is as simple as that. He hates Harry Sinden, but he loves the Bruins. Before coaching the team, Cherry actually played one game for the Bruins, a playoff game versus the Canadiens during the 54-55 season. He would spend the next fifteen seasons bouncing around the minors. But his playing career is irrelevant because he made his name as a coach. After spending three seasons coaching the Rochester Americans, Cherry was given the head coaching job in Boston, replacing a rather successful Bep Guidolin.

Unfortunately for Cherry, Orr and Esposito were on their way out, so he was without two of the greatest players during his coaching run. That said, he was very successful with the players he did have, which included Brad Park, Terry O’Reilly, Wayne Cashman, John Buyck, and Ken Hodge among others. During his five years coaching the Bruins, they compiled a 231-105-64 record, made the playoffs in all five seasons, and played in two Stanley Cups Finals. He won the Jack Adams Award for coach of the year for the 75-76 season and during the 77-78 season, he oversaw a team that had 11 players with at least 20 goals, an NHL record. He was fired after the 78-79 season because of the infamous Too Many Men On The Ice Game against the Canadiens during the playoffs. He would coach one more season in the NHL, taking over the dreadful Colorado Rockies.

As a coach, Cherry was known for stressing the physical aspect of the game. He wanted his players to be gritty, tough, and fearless. His team never backed down from anyone. Guys like O’Reilly, Jonathan, and Wensink were favourites of Grapes and the Boston faithful. It is a shame that he never coached again, but a man as outspoken as Cherry never seems to last long in today’s coaching world. I don’t think he’s sweatin’ it though as he is now an extremely popular TV personality.

If you ever get a chance to track down a copy of his autobiography Grapes, do yourself a favour and read it!

This 74-75 OPC card is Cherry’s rookie card; Scotty Bowman’s rookie is in the same et. It’s a plain looking card, but a must for any fan of the game, regardless of team allegiance. He is looking sort of subdued in his plain looking blazer, but a little flash of future Grapes is peeking out with that polka-dotted tie.

Let’s hope that tonight, Claude Julien channels his inner Cherry and let’s his team take care of business the ol’ fashioned way.

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edit:

So last night on eBay I purchased a card that will most likely be one of my Top 3 all-time favourite cards for a mere pittance. I’m not going to reveal what it is, but I will give you a little hint:

Look at the categories I selected…

Any guesses?

In other news, everyone should tell me who/what they collect because I have cards I need to just get rid of.