'We would have slayed them': Don Cherry remembers Saskatoon NHL bid

Don Cherry still wonders what would could have been.

In 1983, local businessman Bill Hunter asked the Hockey Night in Canada star to coach the Saskatoon Blues. Hunter planned to buy the St. Louis-based team and move it to the city. However, the NHL's board of governors vetoed the move at the last minuteand the team stayed out of the prairies.

"Imagine Wild Bill and I in the NHL," Cherry told CBC Radio's Saskatoon Morning. "We would have slayed them."

New book

These days, Cherry is commemorating a different part of his life. His new book, Don Cherry's Sports Heroes, recounts stories from his half-hour interview show, Don Cherry's Grapevine, which ran on CHCH TV and TSN for more than 10 years in the 1980s. He said the first few years were a little rocky.

"I was terrible," he said. "The first year, I think people tuned in to see how bad I was."

It was really something to see: The heavyweight champion of the world changing a tire on the QE II [Highway].- Don Cherry

Over the years, Cherry said he got a little bit more relaxed and settled into the role. Eventually, he managed to interview a wide variety of people from the sports world from athletes to announcers to referees.

"Of course, there was [Wayne] Gretzkybefore he set all the records," he said. "I remember The Rocket [Maurice Richard] coming on after and saying he's going to set records that are never going to be broken and was he right."

Cherry also remembers stories that happened outside of the studio. One night, Joe Frazier came in late for an interview. His limousine had got a flat tire, and rather than wait for a tow truck, the championship boxer got out and fixed it himself.

"It was really something to see," he said. "The heavyweight champion of the world changing a tire on the QE II [Highway]."

Now a host ofCoach's Corner, Cherry said his job is quite different:Reacting to questionsrather than asking them.

The final chapter of his new book is devoted to co-host Ron McLean's famous or infamous puns. Cherry swears they're made up on the spot.

"Honestly, he has no idea what I'm saying at the end," he said. "Sometimes, I don't even know. And they're not bad when I hear them once a week, but when we start the playoffs ... it gets pretty sickening."