Never one to shy away from a controversial comment or two, hockey legend and Canadian icon Don Cherry has made it clear he thinks the Vancouver Canucks are playing some of the worst hockey he’s ever seen. And, he’s not sure if it’s intentional or not.
Cherry was asked about the Canucks on his most recent podcast and he didn’t hold back on his scorching criticism of the team. Saying the first five minutes of the last game looked like the Canucks were playing short-handed, he said, “I thought they had a 5 minute major at the start.” He added, “It was pathetic.”
As if that wasn’t harsh enough, Cherry questioned what the motivation was for the players to play so badly. He suggested that the team looked like it was full of players trying to get rid of their coach. He noted:
“I hate to say it but I’ve seen it before, they played last night like they wanted the coach fired. [Travis] Green is a good coach, I predicted he would coach in the National Hockey League.”
Cherry goes on to say that “Nobody can play that bad” and noted that the team has no desire to do the things necessary to score, like stand in front of the net. He blamed the players for the Canucks struggles and said he has to wonder what a goaltender like Braden Holtby is thinking right about now.
Cherry said, “I saw Holtby looking at the bench saying ‘What is going on? I thought I was coming to a good club?”
Things in Vancouver Are Getting Ugly
Cherry isn’t the only analyst to suggest Vancouver players are vanishing on the ice. Media all over the city are calling out the team for being so much worse than the team that showed up last season.
GM Jim Benning is being blamed for dropping the ball with contracts and letting players walk, while the head coach still doesn’t have a contract extension and there’s talk he could leave at the end of the season. JT Miller has been questioned for his commitment to defense and some odd behavior and mood swings, while there’s talk the club needs a trade to get the team refocused.
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