Despite being up there in age, Don Cherry has the energy of a teenager and never shies away from stating his opinion, which is what he did regarding Darnell Nurse. Less than a week and a half ago, Toronto Maple Leafs enforcer Ryan Reaves received a big five-game suspension for administering a headshot to Edmonton Oilers defenseman Darnell Nurse. <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/spittinchiclets/status/1857957758068244734'> </a></blockquote></div> The incident in question happened when Nurse was skating behind his net with the puck, and <a href='https://www.hockeylatest.com/nhl-team/toronto-maple-leafs/toronto-maple-leafs-forward-ryan-reaves-ejected-against-the-edmonton-oilers-for-a-dirty-hit-on-darnell-nurse' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Reaves saw the perfect opportunity to lay a crushing hit</a>, once that even Don Cherry, the infamous advocate of old-school hockey, praised as part of what Reaves signed up for in the NHL. But Nurse was of a wholly different opinion. But <a href='https://www.hockeylatest.com/nhl/news/don-cherry-and-paul-bissonnette-team-up-to-place-the-blame-on-darnell-nurse-following-hit-from-ryan-reaves' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Cherry pulled no punches himself, laying into Nurse</a> for being a player who didn't know physicality was part of the game and then overreacting to the hit. «Well, I mean, isn't that the name of the game? He got a goal the next game...» - Don Cherry <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/edmontonjournal/status/1860911364182626792'> </a></blockquote></div> During his podcast, his sidekick, onetime NHL tough guy Jay Rosehill, piled on Nurse, suggesting claims of intent to injure on Reaves's part were ridiculous. «I just think it's a garbage take. Darnell is a guy who has played the game hard. He's thrown big hits before. Darnell, you've taken off your glove to punch other players with a bare-handed fist. Are you out there to hurt guys? No. He's playing hard and playing within the game with the game. That's what Reavo is doing.» - Jay Rosehill Whether that was a fair suspension is the matter for ongoing debate, but the call has been made by the NHL Department of Player Safety. The incident more serves to underscore how different the physicality of today's NHL is from the rough-and-tumble style of past eras.