WARMINGTON: As LeafsNation prepared for Stanley Cup playoffs, Grapes predicts a fast start

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The Stanley Cup playoffs are like the cherry on top for The Coach.

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And, like all fans, he can’t wait.

If you thought the battle for Canada has been a slug-fest, Don Cherry says he’s expecting one heck of a series between the upstart Ottawa Senators and Toronto Maple Leafs, which begins at Scotia Bank Arena tonight.

And to make it even more special, this first game falls on Easter, the day when Christians believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. Grapes sent out an Easter message to his fans and he’s getting ready for the puck to drop.

“There’s nothing better,” the iconic former star of Coach’s Corner on Hockey Night in Canada said of the opening game of the post-season. “I love both of these teams.”

When he did his iconic segments for almost 40 years, there was nothing he loved more than the ride to the cup each spring.

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“It was fun.”

Since being unfairly pushed out on Remembrance Day in 2019, he has watched from home with his son, Tim, grandson, Del, and until her unexpected death after a short illness last summer, his daughter, Cindy. She’s important to remember because on Easter Monday, her new book on her father, The Don Cherry Story, By His Daughter, will be available for purchase on Amazon and bookstores, including Indigo.

“I appreciate all of the messages I have received about Cindy and the new book,” he said. “She worked hard on it.”

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As Don posted to X, she was just finishing up this book when she took ill and succumbed to heart failure at the age of just 67.

“She doesn’t hold back,” said Don proudly.

What Cherry ever would?

“She wrote so many words, they had to do two books,” Don said, laughing, the first time I have heard him do that since she died July 15.

Don spoke of her in the present tense: “She’s got the second one coming out at Christmas.”

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His voice sounded strong and you could feel a spring in his step. He really should still be on Coach’s Corner. Part of what has given Grapes a boost is the ongoing support he gets from his fans, NHL icon Bobby Orr, and recently, a call out of the blue.

“It was Wayne Gretzky and Tie Domi who were in New York,” he said. “I was surprised.”

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It wasn’t lost on either No. 99 or No. 28 that Cherry was the first to drop the gloves and stick up for Gretzky when the anti-Trump crowd tried to pile on him with some strange Canadian purity test.

Cherry knows what’s it like to have the mob unfairly surround you for no good reason. He also knows what a Canadian looks like.

“I don’t know how they found the number, but they did. It was great to see them,” said Cherry. “It doesn’t get any better than those two.”

Scoring and toughness. And class.

With the loss of Cindy and his younger brother, Richard, Don has had a tough year. But the playoffs are helping and so are all of the good memories surrounding this book by Cindy.

Like the late Rose Cherry, Cindy was a quiet but strong voice behind the scenes as her father pursued a  wild existence, once being voted the 7th greatest Canadian and enjoying a career that included coaching the Boston Bruins and 1976 Team Canada.

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But it was his tell-it-like-it-is approach on Coach’s Corner that was loved and hated. He was loved by patriots and those who wore a uniform in the name of freedom and hated by the more woke in our society.

While they may have moved him off of Saturday night, Cindy reminds us in her book that what they did was less than honourable. Don, Tim and Del were preparing Sunday to honour Cindy during their taping of The Don Cherry Grapevine Podcast, and to talk about her book.

Cindy was a friend of mine, as well, and I can tell you she was one special dynamo like her dad, mom, brother and son. She was fair, honest, generous, charitable, caring and loyal.

These are Cherry traits. These are Canadian traits. The Cherry’s are a very close family and the thing that ties them all together is hockey.

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While Canada misses Coach’s Corner, and Hockey Night in Canada, NHL broadcasts have not been the same since his ridiculous cancelling for passionately urging Canadians to wear poppies. His millions of supporters can still get a taste of his no-holds barred commentary on this podcast which recently hit the 300-show milestone.

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At 91, Don says he still enjoys doing the podcast with Tim and Del and the fans sure do, as well.

As for tonight, Grapes said he expects the Maple Leafs will start this series off strong.

“I am going with the Leafs all the way this year,” he said. “They have the experience, are well coached and have a good goaltender. I am on their bandwagon.”

But it won’t be the only series, he will be watching.

“I like all of the matchups,” he said. “The whole league is great. Ottawa is a great young team and so is Montreal. They will be both be tough.”

That said, he thinks Toronto has something to prove and believes this year’s team has the horses to do it this spring.

He’s not the only fan of the blue and white who’s hoping to finally shed the playoff jinx that has resulted in the Leafs not winning the Stanley Cup since 1967.

There’s certainly a long way to go. But that dream starts tonight.

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