A week ago, Don Cherry was blamed by a random doctor in Toronto for violence in Hockey. Well on Saturday, Cherry finally spoke about that matter and of course he had a bit of a disagreement with his accuser, Dr. Tator....

Experts around the world have been taking time out of their busy schedule (see: Congress/BCS) to do random reports on Sports, but the latest out of Canada, just might be the best we've seen. At a recent seminar a Toronto neurosurgeon finally said what we've all been thinking. That HNIC's Don Cherry is to blame for violence in Hockey. Via CBC News....

"He's a negative influence," Dr. Charles Tator told CBC News in reference to Cherry, a popular personality on Hockey Night in Canada. "The aggressive, lack-of-respect hockey that he preaches — we need to get that out of the game."

Tator, an expert on brain injuries, said hockey culture needs to change and Cherry could influence that.

"If he took a strong stand against no hits to the head, it would help," Tator said. He noted that years ago, Cherry added his voice to a move to reduce serious neck injuries in hockey by stiffening rules about hitting from behind.

Tator's view on Cherry was not shared by everyone at the day-long conference, including a former NHL player who left the game in the 1990s due to head injuries.

"Its a very provocative statement," Jason Smith, now an orthopedic surgeon in Toronto, told CBC News in response to Tator's opinion that Cherry contributes to the injury problem.

CBC Hockey Night in Canada's Don Cherry during a news conference Nov. 24.CBC Hockey Night in Canada's Don Cherry during a news conference Nov. 24. (Darren Calabrese/CP)"I feel that Don Cherry cares about people, ultimately," Smith said. "So to call him a problem — I don't know. I think it's more in the [hockey] culture. He's a product of that culture ... a little more of a rock 'em, sock 'em type."

Well sort of. They didn't use their names, but two characters at the beginning of yesterday's Simpsons bore a striking resemblance to Don Cherry and Barry Melrose. At the start of the latest episode Homer is watching a Hockey game, when a fight breaks out. Homer gets mad at the announcer for saying that fighting is bad and after that, they go to a studio show which features the two Hockey talking heads....

A gay rights group, called Egale Canada, is upset with CBC's Mike Milbury for coining the term "pansification", and using it at least twice this season. The term was used by Milbury to describe the NHL's current discussion on fighting in the league, but the group doesn't seem to buy that explanation. Via Globe and Mail....

Network spokesman Jeff Keay said neither Milbury nor Cherry intended to offend homosexuals by using "pansification," a derivative of the word pansy.

"The point is, it was no way intended to be a reflection on or offensive to gay people," Keay said. "I think the colloquial use of the term was something they didn't associate with gay people. The way the language evolves over time, 20 or 30 years ago it would have been seen, reasonably enough, as a direct slur against gay people.

"But I think with usage now, I'm not sure the association is so immediate."

Kennedy wasn't buying the explanation.

"Words like pansification just further the stereotype and perpetuate the homophobic stereotype in our society," she said yesterday.

I passed along a story last week that Canadians were upset with the apparent Sidney Crosby shunning that was taking place during the Stanley Cup Finals and apparently Crosby's management has contacted the network about it. Via Globe and Mail....

At the conclusion of the deciding game of the Stanley Cup final on Wednesday, Sidney Crosby's agent, Pat Brisson, huddled with Scott Moore, the head of CBC Sports, at Pittsburgh's Mellon Arena.

The subject was Hockey Night in Canada's coverage or — from the point of view of Brisson and others — the peculiar coverage of Crosby in the NHL final series.

The Pittsburgh Penguins' 20-year-old captain was largely ignored by Hockey Night host Ron MacLean and commentator Don Cherry, although MacLean did report on Wednesday before Game 6 that Crosby was the leading scorer of the playoffs. And Cherry aired a piece on Coach's Corner, the thrust of which was referees were allowing Crosby to be fouled because he was known as a diver in his rookie season.

Apparently, the conversation between Brisson and Moore was amicable, but inconclusive.

I'll admit ahead of time I have no idea what this is ultimately about, but apparently Don Cherry has something against Sidney Crosby. According to the Globe and mail the HNIC and ESPN analyst purposefully didn't bring up the Penguins young star after Game Three and he's ultimately hurting viewers....

On Wednesday, Sidney Crosby scored two of the Pittsburgh Penguins' three goals and logged almost 20 minutes of ice time to lead the Penguins back into their series against the Detroit Red Wings. It was a terrific performance.

But guess who received the attention during the Hockey Night in Canada postgame coverage? Gary Roberts.

The show's grudge against Crosby has gone well beyond ridiculous. Yes, host Ron MacLean interviewed him last Saturday, but the show's most influential commentator, Don Cherry, doesn't like him. And MacLean certainly defers to his elder.

When Cherry did his postgame spot for ESPN, he continued to ignore Crosby and wax lyrical about Roberts. Finally, ESPN commentator Barry Melrose said, “What about the Crosby kid?”

“Oh,” Cherry said. “I forgot. Yeah, he played a great game.”

Crosby should be a Cherry favourite. He's a Canadian, he's tough and he has been in at least one fight. But the two got off to a bad start when Crosby was in junior hockey and was rapped by Cherry for being a hot dog because he used a lacrosse-style stick manoeuvre to score a goal. For his part, Crosby has a bit of an edge and he probably hasn't been appropriately deferential to Cherry.