Home / News / ‘I don’t embrace NOTHIN’: Don Cherry doubles down on ‘bunch of jerks’ comments, calls Hurricanes fans ‘front runners’

‘I don’t embrace NOTHIN’: Don Cherry doubles down on ‘bunch of jerks’ comments, calls Hurricanes fans ‘front runners’

By Ian Oland

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May 4, 2019 11:59 pm

Earlier this week, the Carolina Hurricanes swept the New York Islanders in the second round, advancing to the Eastern Conference Final for the first time since 2008–09. Saturday, the Hurricanes’ success was discussed on Coach’s Corner and Don Cherry was given an opportunity to apologize after calling the Hurricanes “a bunch of jerks” earlier in the season for their postgame storm surges.

Instead, Cherry doubled down on his comments!!! And insulted the entire fan base.

His crankiness was off the charts.

Video

Here’s the full transcript.

Ron MacLean: You happened to bring up on the Coach’s Corner that night what has made Raleigh, North Carolina, the Hurricanes, you, everyone, rich and famous. This is unbelievable, the jerks phenomenon.

Don Cherry: I don’t understand this. I said this on Canada and it goes down in there. You know, it’s a funny thing. They know that it’s the wrong thing to do, or they’d do it in the playoffs. You do it in October, you don’t see them until March.

I don’t understand. Well, I’m told, the owners said to entertain the crowd and they still draw 13-14k people. And these people that are in here now, now they’re winning. Front-running fans as far as I’m concerned. That’s what they are.

Ron MacLean: It’s hard not to embrace it, isn’t it?

Don Cherry: I don’t embrace NOTHIN. I said they look like a bunch of jerks being a fish in the water. A bowling ball with professional hockey. No sport in the world does it, except them. It comes down from the top. I want you to entertain the fans. The fans there now, the 17-18k, they are front runners. They’re there because they win. Not because they act like fish.

Cherry’s previous “bunch of jerks” comments helped spawn viral t-shirts and give the Hurricanes an identity that the entire community could rally around. He also called Evgeny Kuznetsov a jerk for his bird celebration.

It’s worth noting that during tonight’s segment, Cherry wore a Star Wars suit on May 4 in honor of “May The Force Be With You” day.

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