Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Keep Your Head Up Kid: The Don Cherry Story – Reflection on the Old Guy

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Today’s Blog Post

Keep Your Head Up Kid: The Don Cherry Story – Reflection on the Old Guy

The words read… Quote…
At the age of 36 he had cracked his knuckles over the head of myriad junior-league journeymen, skated with Maurice Richard and played a sum total of one game in the big league. The game he’d bled for finally had no room for him. Washed-up and penniless, he tried his hand at selling Caddies and banging nails. Neither worked out. “By late 1970 I was going from construction site to construction site begging for jobs,” he recalls. “If I lucked out, I’d work eight hours and make 16 dollars. I had no money and no job. That was my lowest point. So I go and ask the Lord for help. I know, I know, people reading this will think I'm an evangelist or a kook or something, but from that moment -- and I know you think I'm nuts right now -- from that moment on everything went straight up. It had to. I was hungry. I would have killed to succeed. When I finally got my chance, nobody was going to take it away.”
End Quote..

If you hadn’t seen the photo… can you guess you who said this? Do the details give you any hint of who it might be?

These words are a direct quote from a person that few people recognize as anything but soft and caring… anything but someone that would pray!

Well meet Don Cherry, the one portrayed as the Loud Mouth from Coaches Corner on CBC Hockey, that dresses in loud and outlandish outfits that knock people’s eyes out. With his shirts always with an Edwardian Collar he stands out in a crowd.

Meet Don Cherry that has become an odd Canadian Icon. When he dies they will likely start calling him a Canadian Treasure.

I know many National Hockey League stories where men tried hard to play themselves to the top as famous hockey players. Then they ended up washed up, dieing of disease and alone. In our city not long ago an old man that lived on the street and begged for money while living on the in famed “Ontario Works”, was once a young guy headed to the fame of the NHL.

Don Cherry could have been one of these… but for Rose, his belief in prayer and some real good luck along the way… he would have been.

I watched the Don Cherry movie that aired on Sunday night and Monday night. And I can say that I loved it! What a great Canadian production.

Albeit… many TV programs are preceded by the warnings of Sex, Violence and Mayhem… this one wasn’t. It did have a warning or instruction at different points in the movie – something like… this movie has nothing to do with the NHL – National Hockey League… or that they do not necessarily hold this a part of their belief system... like they do before Religious Programs!

What a crock! It was the NHL and its roots… the things of the past. Not the NHL of today with its zillion dollar players and unbelievable political crapola that all the big wigs present. It was real living in a very simple way.

Wait and see how many NHL Executives come to Don Cherry’s funeral! I just bet that they will lay claim to him as one of “their treasures” as well. It is all about marketing!

Some movies take stories and twist them. I don’t believe this one did that. How can I say that?

Well… Don Cherry was often on the set watching what was being done. And most of all… his son Tim was the director! The son knew the story better than anyone and dad would pull no punches if it was off the real story. I think that is why I was so deeply moved by what was presented – it was honest… and on TV and in movies today… honesty is not always there.

I can honestly say(after that ‘honest’ statement above) that Don Cherry makes me feel like he is a buffoon on the Coaches Corner portion of CBC Hockey. His reflections are kind of a know it all, braggart type that just raises his voice louder if he wants to make a point. Well he is all that… but there are producers behind much of that as well. The loud clothing, and just about extreme everything are down right funny… specially when he is as old as he is – at 76!

You need to take time to read the Wikipedia posting of Don Cherry(ice_hockey). The story is truly Canadian and in itself an inspiration describing where this guy came from.

I give Don Cherry two thumbs up and say that I appreciate you my friend. You give many of us a new hope today… and I cheer you on!

You go Don!

~ Murray Lincoln ~
http://www.murraylincoln.com/

Source:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/arts/television/the-soft-side-of-grapes/article1513600/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don_Cherry_(ice_hockey)

1 comment:

joel said...

I googled "Don Cherry movie prayer" to see if anyone had a opinion on what I felt was the underlining theme of the movie, and yours was the first on the list.

I'm glad I stopped by to read your take. I, like you am not the biggest fan of Don on CC, but we do enjoy watching him. The emphasis on prayer was great and I respect Tim and Don for making it a big part of the movie.

Cheers and keep uyour stick on the ice.