Don Cherry sounds off on the fighting ban in junior hockey.

Don Cherry shares his thoughts on the controversial decision from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League to ban fighting.

Jonathan Larrivee
Jonathan Larrivee
Published 1 year ago
Don Cherry sounds off on the fighting ban in junior hockey.
Reuters/Chris Wattie

Recently it was revealed that the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League would introduce a blanket fighting ban in their league starting next season, a decision that came off the back of significant pressure from the provincial government in the province of Quebec.

It is a decision that has been the subject of much debate and significant controversy, with fans and pundits divided on whether or not the decision is a good one or one that could potentially result in unforeseen consequences for the players moving forward.

On Sunday, National Hockey League legend Don Cherry shared his thoughts on the recent decision to ban fighting, and he seemed to be against the notion. Cherry cited recent comments from former junior hockey player Bobby Nadeau, now Dr. Bobby Nadeau, that cautioned that a ban on fighting could lead to problems.

Nadeau was involved in an infamous incident years ago where he was on the receiving end of a vicious attack from Jonathan Roy, the son of NHL legend Patrick Roy, and that was likely the reason the media seeked out his comments on the matter. The expectation was likely that Nadeau would be in favor of a fighting ban, but nothing could have been further from the truth much to the delight of Don Cherry.

"He got the heck kicked out of him so they thought 'This is a good guy to talk to because he would be against fighting' but he was pretty good," said Cherry on his most recent podcast. "He said 'This could lead to more vicious play', and the other thing he said was 'Will lead to players feeling more brave with their stick' and nobody expected him to be the guy [to take that position.]"

It was clear that Cherry fully endorsed the comments from Nadeau and it seems more than fair to suggest that Grapes is also concerned about how this could potentially result in more cheap shots in the league. Nadeau specifically expressed concerns regarding cheap shots and hits to the head when he spoke ot the Canadian Press regarding the matter.

"Is this going to fully abolish fighting?" asked Nadeau as per the Canadian Press. "Maybe it'll be at a lower frequency. But if fights become illegal, it'd be equally important to double down on cheap shots and hits to the head."

Do you agree with Nadeau and Cherry? Or is the decision to ban fighting in the QMJHL a good one? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Source: