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Don Cherry on Leafs not saluting fans: ‘I couldn’t believe these guys would do something like this’

Los Angeles Kings v New Jersey Devils - Game One

NEWARK, NJ - MAY 30: Don Cherry looks on prior to Game One of the 2012 NHL Stanley Cup Final between the Los Angeles Kings and New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center on May 30, 2012 in Newark, New Jersey. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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Don Cherry, as you might’ve expected, has chimed in on this whole Toronto Maple Leafs players opting not to salute their fans following a recent win on home ice.

Have you heard about this yet?

Well, it’s a major controversy in Toronto, and it has resulted in some awkward and chilly exchanges between captain Dion Phaneuf and a reporter when the issue was brought up for discussion on Friday.

“This is the biggest thing I’ve ever seen in my life with Toronto,” said Cherry during Coach’s Corner on Saturday.

“I couldn’t believe that these guys would do something like this to the fans.”

Grapes went beyond just this incident. He also ripped the “fan” who threw a Leafs jersey on the ice in that 9-2 blowout loss to Nashville earlier in the week.

“But I’m going to show you right off the bat where all this started,” said Cherry.

“Now everybody thinks this guy’s a passionate fan. This guy is a jerk that threw (the jersey on the ice), that doesn’t care about Leafs at all. He just wants to get his picture. ‘I did that. Look, I did that.’ He’s a jerk. He’s not a fan at all. That started the whole thing.

He then continued to vent about the Leafs skipping out on the salute.

“These guys got together - the organization had nothing to do with this. They wouldn’t have believed that it could happen. It’s unbelievable that they would be dumb enough to go out and do something like that,” said Cherry.

“Now, there’s a silver lining for the Toronto Maple Leafs though. Now these guys going on the ice know they’ll never, ever take a night off at home because the crowd will drive them nuts.”

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