Don Cherry Biography

Fast Facts

• Was named NHL Coach of the Year for his 1975-1976 season with the Boston Bruins
• Was the fastest coach in the history of the NHL to reach the 250-game wins mark and has the fifth highest winning percentage of all coaches
• Spent 16 years in the minor leagues of hockey before retiring to work in construction, only to return to hockey in 1971 as the coach of the Rochester Americans
• First played hockey as a teenager with the Barrie Flyers before going professional in 1954 with the Hershey Bears
• Quote: "I know exactly what I'm saying, so that when I'm fired, it won't be a slip of the tongue․ Everything I want to say I say․"
• Best known as a former NHL player who is now an analyst on "Hockey Night in Canada․"
• Was head coach of the Boston Bruins for five years and also served as assistant coach of Team Canada in 1976
• Has been presenting his candid and often controversial opinions on the "Hockey Night in Canada" segment "Coach's Corner" with Ron MacLean since 1987
• Was named AHL Coach of the Year for his 1973-1974 season with the Rochester Americans
• A two-part mini-series was made about his career as a coach and analyst in "Keep Your Head Up Kid: The Don Cherry Story" and "The Wrath of Grapes: The Don Cherry Story II․"