Don Cherry Gives His Unexpected Controversial Opinion On The Reaves Hit On Nurse

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Daniel Lucente
November 18, 2024 (9:51)

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Don Cherry never shies away from sharing his, at times, controversial feelings, and he did that last night when he spoke of the Ryan Reaves hit on Darnell Nurse.

Few voices have emerged to defend the vicious check Toronto Maple Leafs enforcer Ryan Reaves delivered on Edmonton Oilers defenceman Darnell Nurse this past weekend.

Even now, most agree the blame lies largely on Reaves. But not everyone is ready to pin all the blame on him.

With the NHL Department of Player Safety hitting Reaves with a significant suspension, some have since insinuated that Nurse is partially at fault for failing to defend himself.

One such individual is renowned hockey commentator Don Cherry. During his latest podcast, the colorful commentator noted that back in his time, if a player came into the net like that, he'd practically get flattened.

"You know it's a funny thing," began Cherry on his most recent podcast. "Nobody [would] ever come around like that with their head down, because the wingers would leave and as soon as they saw you do that once they'd get you the next time."

He recorded the episode before Reaves' suspension was announced but correctly guessed the length of the penalty.

Cherry, known for his old-school hockey philosophy, isn't the only one to share this perspective. Former NHL player and popular broadcaster Paul Bissonnette also critiqued Nurse's awareness.

Shortly after the incident, Bissonnette highlighted the risks of rounding the net without proper vigilance, defending Reaves as a victim of bad luck rather than malicious intent.

"A tough situation for Reavo," said Bissonnette on Hockey Night in Canada. "It seems like [Nurse] was still facing the corner which you know you're anticipating him to round the net and maybe hit them towards the front, in the crest, and [Nurse] just never really rounds his shoulder so it just leaves his head susceptible.

"It just sucks that he gets him right in the button," added Bissonnette."

Over the weekend, he elaborated with a three-minute video, emphasizing that he really felt Reaves didn't have any bad intentions.

In a similar vein, Topher Scott of the Hockey Think Tank voiced his opinion that the total lack of situational awareness on the part of Nurse, such things as keeping one's eyes on the puck while moving behind the net, set a bad example for younger players.

Scott stressed the importance of teaching athletes to always be aware of their surroundings to avoid dangerous plays.

The question begs: are Cherry, Bissonnette, and Scott onto something, regarding player responsibility, or are they off base?