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Thu Oct 22, 2009 5:10 pm EDT

Don Cherry Military Night: Ugly jerseys for a great cause

By Greg Wyshynski

Don Cherry Military Appreciation Night at the K-Rock Centre already sounded like more fun than you're legally allowed to have in Kingston, Ont.

Add in the fact that the OHL's Kingston Frontenacs rocked these limited edition, one-of-a-kind Don Cherry game sweaters and ... well, there's only so much elation the human heart can handle in one evening.

The Frontenacs, coached by former Toronto Maple Leafs great Doug Gilmour, honored Canadian Forces Base Kingston on Wednesday, and caustic "Hockey Night in Canada" commenter Cherry was there not only to serve as a special attraction but as a fashion inspiration. From The Peterborough Examiner:

The Frontenacs were all sporting jerseys complete with the Don Cherry trademark high-neck collar and tie last night. The buttons were all done in the team's logo. The jerseys, designed by a Winnipeg-based company called All Canadian Emblem, are now being offered up for auction on the team's website.

[...]

The idea came for the jerseys came during a fun meeting between Frontenacs spokesman Jeff Stilwell and trainer Craig Belfer. "Last summer, we were looking at some really ugly sweaters worn in the AHL and ECHL," Stilwell said. "We thought, 'Wouldn't it be cool (to do something like that)? Then it snowballed in our weekly marketing meetings. ... Don Cherry's name got thrown in when we started talking about our annual military night and, boom, the concept went into reality mode."

Each jersey was signed by Cherry himself and is currently being auctioned off the team's Web site for Soldier On, which assists ill and injured military personnel. As for Grapes ... well, the man knows how to make an entrance; and seeing those fancy formalwear jerseys in action is something to behold, too:

The Mississauga St. Michaels Majors beat the Frontenacs, 4-3 -- an obvious homage to Cherry's coaching tenure with the Colorado Rockies.

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119 Comments

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  1. Tony G
    1. Posted by Tony G Thu Oct 22, 2009 5:37 pm EDT

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    Don Cherry is an as [profane] and USA Canada.
  2. M
    2. Posted by M Thu Oct 22, 2009 5:46 pm EDT

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    Those are ugly! Look at the bright side, it COULD be much worse.
  3. miah
    3. Posted by miah Thu Oct 22, 2009 5:56 pm EDT

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    awesome idea! Though it's amazing that this kind of jersey could actually happen in real life and not just in your imagination...
  4. Jason M
    4. Posted by Jason M Thu Oct 22, 2009 6:49 pm EDT

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    how long until we see the Thrasher's add this as their 4th uniform?
  5. JamieYaheard
    5. Posted by JamieYaheard Thu Oct 22, 2009 7:10 pm EDT

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    I live in Kingston... Fronts blow... How can a team miss the playoffs 3 years straight when 8 of the 10 teams in the conference make them??? Seeing all those empty seats at a great event like this is sad... No one wants to play here... How can a brutal city like Belleville consistently get good talent and compete year in year out and a city twice the size not?? Management.... Worst managed team in the OHL... sad really... if this team ever won games the place would be full consistently... But no... I've been alive long enough to remember 15 of their seasons... one time (maybe two) they got to the second round of the playoffs... one division win... pathetic... no wonder there was talk of moving this team... but they built a new rink, tried to get the memorial cup(hahahahahah) and hired Gilmour to coach... Who knows...
  6. Guy F
    6. Posted by Guy F Thu Oct 22, 2009 7:13 pm EDT

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    Don Cherry has done so much over his career for charity it's incredible. Love him or hate him, that is very commendable. I think this was a beauty idea.
    With so many left-wingers in this country, it's taken as war-mongering to support our troops (no wonder our military, 5th most powerful on the planet after WW TWO, has plummeted to somewhere between the Nicaraguan guerillas and the Siberian navy). Good for Don for supporting the troops in his typical unabashed fashion.
  7. habs1rule
    7. Posted by habs1rule Thu Oct 22, 2009 9:03 pm EDT

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    If Don Cherry was an American, and wore a Stars and Stripes jacket, everyone would love him. The man is a legend.
  8. Ben D.
    8. Posted by Ben D. Thu Oct 22, 2009 10:38 pm EDT

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    Man, I feel bad for minor league (and international) hockey players. They often have to wear these utterly silly uniforms, be it with bizarre designs, or sponsor logos all up the ying-yang.
    I thank God that the NHL teams only have 2-3 jerseys each, and that none of them are as silly as these.
  9. Bubbabanjo
    9. Posted by Bubbabanjo Thu Oct 22, 2009 11:28 pm EDT

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    Don is the man. Great cause. God bless all those Canadien boys over in that crap hole. Come home safe boys!!
  10. Big Bobby Clobber
    10. Posted by Big Bobby Clobber Thu Oct 22, 2009 11:43 pm EDT

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    Cherry is a moron. Out of date. Lost in time. An idiot with a soapbox paid for by the taxpayers. He should be driven out to the forest and set free.
  11. Matt S
    11. Posted by Matt S Fri Oct 23, 2009 1:33 am EDT

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    not sure what is uglier those jerseys or the striped montreal one's
  12. jacon
    12. Posted by jacon Fri Oct 23, 2009 5:37 am EDT

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    Does Canada have a military, ahhhh?
  13. Mike L
    13. Posted by Mike L Fri Oct 23, 2009 6:52 am EDT

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    Bubbabuttbongobangofiesta is a moron. Out of date. Lost in time. He should be driven out to the forest and set free.
    -----------------------
    Fixed it for you.
  14. Mike L
    14. Posted by Mike L Fri Oct 23, 2009 6:52 am EDT

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    14. Posted by jacon Fri Oct 23, 2009 5:37 am EDT Report Abuse
    Does Canada have a military, ahhhh?
    -----------------------------
    It's "eh" not "ahhhh", dope.
  15. Bob
    15. Posted by Bob Fri Oct 23, 2009 7:16 am EDT

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    Jacon...spoken like a dumb american...........Canada has fought wars beside americans for years........oh I forgot,,,USA is the only country in the world......what a boob you are
  16. Big Bobby Clobber
    16. Posted by Big Bobby Clobber Fri Oct 23, 2009 7:45 am EDT

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    Thanks Mike. Cherry was easier to spell.
  17. habs1rule
    17. Posted by habs1rule Fri Oct 23, 2009 8:35 am EDT

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    @14...Does America have an economy!!
  18. JohnC
    18. Posted by JohnC Fri Oct 23, 2009 8:36 am EDT

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    Jacon-
    To politely answer your question...yes. We have a sizable contingent serving in Afghanistan (and have been there since 2001). We also served alongside you in the first two World Wars and numerous other involvements.
    You don't have to like Grapes, but he's supported the Canadian Forces at every opportunity and has used the end of Coach's Corner to honour guys killed in the line of duty.
    If you were trying to be funny, you failed on a grand scale given that there are a number of widows here because their spouse was killed in the line of duty while serving in Afghanistan. My guess is that they probably wouldn't find you very funny.
  19. Mojo Risin
    19. Posted by Mojo Risin Fri Oct 23, 2009 9:07 am EDT

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    Shame about that small crowd, but looking at their long-term record, I can see why they don't draw better.
    To those equating soldiers with terrorists: Get a clue. If Canadian/American soldiers actually were terrorists, you'd already have been hauled out of your studio apartment in your jammies, and taken for questioning, just for writing that.
    To the rest of the Grapes haters: Live a little more, walk a mile anything close to what he has, and then see if you still think he's out of touch. My guess is you guys are in your twenties and thirties, still holding all the answers, except for the one about how to get a job you don't hate. Just a suggestion... a wise person respects age as wisdom, until otherwise proven. I don't always agree with Cherry, but I do respect his wisdom.
  20. JediGoalie30
    20. Posted by JediGoalie30 Fri Oct 23, 2009 9:41 am EDT

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    Cool promotion and a great cause, but the Milwaukee Admirals (IHL/AHL) first did it in the 90's. Do a Google image search for "bob uecker admirals jersey" and you'll see them.
  21. TheBigWhistle
    21. Posted by TheBigWhistle Fri Oct 23, 2009 9:56 am EDT

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    I live about an hour east of Kingston, on the American side. I wish I'd heard about this event, would have attended. Living near a large military installation (Ft. Drum) I have the utmost respect for people who serve and defend their country. Canada and it's military force have served beside our forces in the middle east, to that I give them a Big Don Cherry thumbs up. And, Hockey Night in Canada would not be nearly as enjoyable without "Coaches Corner".
  22. JoJo BBQ
    22. Posted by JoJo BBQ Fri Oct 23, 2009 10:24 am EDT

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    don cherry is a bum - good thing he didnt dress like that while playing hockey for the rochester americans.
  23. Big Bobby Clobber
    23. Posted by Big Bobby Clobber Fri Oct 23, 2009 10:31 am EDT

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    "bob uecker admirals jersey"
    Ugly Jerseys but, like the invention of ice, pucks, goalie masks, the blue line, Cherry will claim those jerseys were his idea.
  24. ROCStorm
    24. Posted by ROCStorm Fri Oct 23, 2009 10:44 am EDT

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    PASS...I want one!!!

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