NHL fans and betting experts know him simply as Grapes. The former Kansas City Scouts and Boston Bruins players that used to play for him still call him Coach. Don Cherry earned the respect of every hockey fan in North America with his determination and storied hockey career. He played for years in the NHL farm systems for several teams and finally got his chance to play in the NHL in 1954 when he was called up to play for the Bruins. He played in one playoff game for the Bruins and went on to 14 more years in the minors before the Vancouver Canucks called him up for 33 games in 1968. But, at that point, the Canucks were still part of the WHL. Grapes never got his chance to play a season in the big leagues.

The part of his career that the betting sites took notice of was his NHL coaching career. In 1974, he became the head coach of the Boston Bruins and took the Bruins to two Stanley Cup finals appearances in five seasons. In 1979, he coached one season for the dismal Colorado Rockies before he called it quits on coaching.

Don Cherry’s boisterous personality and candid way of speaking got the attention of every 5dimes hockey fan in Canada. He landed a job as a commentator for Hockey Night in Canada, where he went on to establish himself as a Canadian icon and a mainstay in NHL broadcasting for at least three decades.