Don Cherry on Criticism of Alexander Ovechkin, 'same crowd that went after me'

Don Cherry is about as outspoken as one can be.

So much so, that his long-standing program Coach's Corner on CBC/Sportsnet was cancelled as a result of his opinions. His latest comments drew criticism from the usual suspects - unsurprisingly.

In a recent interview with The Toronto Sun, Cherry jumped to the defense of Washington Capitals captain Alexander Ovechkin. The Russian star has received heavy criticism in the past 12 months over Russian aggression in Ukraine.

Criticism which Cherry describes as a 'double standard.'

Ovechkin's relationship with the Russian President precedes this war by about a decade, so those drawing fictitious lines around the subject ought to consider that. That, and the fact that politics in Russia are not the same as they are in North America.

Cronyism runs rampant, and publicly aligning oneself - or neglecting to publicly align oneself - with certain figures has had consequences for folks in the past.

Cherry's stance on the subject is somewhat shocking on its face, as he is as pro-military and pro-country as anyone. However, he does pose a valid question, drawing a parallel to his own you people comments, which saw him effectively cancelled.

"It's the same crowd that went after me," he said. "They don't care about hockey, and it's not about hockey. Alex is a great player and great person, and he deserves better than to be treated like this."

He points out the double standard inherent to the situation. Folks who called for his head just a couple short years ago are now calling on a mass ban of a particular group of people just because of where they are from.

Which is an astute point. Isn't the whole point of inclusivity to look past the superficial things, like where people are from, what skin color they have, or what gender they are, etc?

Source: Joe Warmington, The Toronto Sun

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