Don Cherry blasts Hurricanes fans in latest rant against fun

It was back in mid-February that sports broadcaster Don Cherry called the Carolina Hurricanes “a bunch of jerks” for their ‘Storm Surge’ celebrations after wins on home ice during the regular season.

Those few words kicked off quite the marketing campaign for the NHL squad. Instead of firing back at Cherry, they embraced the phrase and put it everywhere.

Since then, Carolina hit its stride, snuck into the playoffs for the first time in a decade and became the first team to advance to the conference finals after knocking off the Washington Capitals in seven games in the first round and sweeping the New York Islanders in round two.

That doesn’t mean that Cherry wants to give the organization (or its fans) much credit, though.

During his appearance on Coach’s Corner Saturday night, he shot off once again.

“The owner (Tom Dundon) said entertain the crowd and they still (draw) thirteen to fourteen thousand people,” stated Cherry about the celebrations — which included human bowling and fishing, to name a few — and their lack of impact on attendance numbers. “These people that are here now, now (that) they’re winning (are) front-running fans as far as I’m concerned. That’s what they are: Front-running fans as far as I’m concerned.”

Following a little more lambasting towards the organization’s executives for making their players execute the lighthearted, choreographed celebrations, Cherry reminded Carolina’s fanbase what he thinks they are.

“The fans there now, the seventeen or eighteen thousand, they’re frontrunners,” he said. “They’re there because they win, not because they act like fish.”

The Hurricanes social media team, as they’ve brilliantly done each step of the way, had yet another glorious response for Cherry.

We’ll just have to wait and see who gets the last laugh in their ongoing battle.

There’s little doubt that Cherry will get the last word, though.

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