Acccording to Burton Janes of the Carbonear, Newfoundland "Compass," the flamboyant and outspoken Canadian hockey commentator, Don Cherry (Canada's Howard Cosell), offers testimony of God's hand in his life.
Bumping around the minor leagues in the Great Lakes hockey associations (with wife Rose from Hershey, PA the Cherrys moved 53 times) Don got to one game with the NHL Boston Bruins and was through. At age 36 he couldn't even hold a job as a $2 an hour housepainter. Depressed and embarassed to face his wife and children he got down on his knees and begged God for help. "I've been a big failure, please, Lord, I need help." A voice in his head told him to get back into hockey – at age 36!
After the coach of the Rochester Americans got injured, Don replaced him. They missed the playoffs, Don was sacked then called back by a new bunch of owners for $15,000 a year. Next year he was Coach of the Year in the American Hockey League and called up to coach the mighty Boston Bruins. When he looked down the bench at Orr, Esposito and the other Boston legends he couldn't believe how far he had come in 3 years.
"And they say there is no God," Cherry concluded.