Skip navigation
Favorites
Sign up to follow your favorites on all your devices.
Sign up

Don Cherry: NHL stars like Sidney Crosby ‘shouldn’t fight’

Los Angeles Kings v New Jersey Devils - Game One

NEWARK, NJ - MAY 30: Don Cherry looks on prior to Game One of the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Final between the Los Angeles Kings and New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center on May 30, 2012 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Getty Images

Don Cherry has taken issue with the amount of fights NHL super stars are getting into these days, using the latest case of Sidney Crosby scrapping with Brandon Dubinsky as his example.

Crosby and Dubinsky dropped the gloves in a spirited but quick bout after getting tangled up together in the corner during a game between the Penguins and Blue Jackets this week.

“Crosby should never have to put up with stuff like this. This has been going on, he’s had concussions. He shouldn’t fight,” said Cherry during his Coach’s Corner segment on Saturday.

(Interesting to note that while Cherry brought up Crosby’s concussion history as a reason why Pittsburgh’s star shouldn’t fight, he later turned around and basically dismissed concussions and the connection they have to fighting in hockey.)

Cherry’s main issue was the lack of “protection” stars have now compared to the days of Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossy during the 1980s. He then showed several clips of stars like Evgeni Malkin, Jonathan Toews, Patrice Bergeron, Rick Nash and others in fights.

“They should be protected all the time,” said Cherry. “That’s why they get injured all the time. They should never, ever be fighting.”

Follow @CamTucker_Metro