Senators player calls out Cherry for being offside
Ottawa Senators defenceman Mark Borowiecki is the type of player Don Cherry would cheer for all night long.
Borowiecki is determined, will throw a punch or two when necessary, and is deeply loyal to his team and city. In that latter regard, though, Borowiecki takes issue with Cherry’s perception of Ottawa and Senators fans.
Cherry criticized Senators fans for not supporting owner Eugene Melnyk — including the #MelnykOut billboards which appeared last week — and he suggested the team would be far better off in Quebec City.
In short, Borowiecki says he’s an ill-informed outsider.
“I talked to my wife and parents about it,” Borowiecki said of Cherry’s comments on Saturday night.
“Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and he’s someone who I can positively say is not around this market much.”
Borowiecki suggests Cherry has a simplistic take on the issues involving Senators ownership and the fan base.
“I don’t think he understands what’s going on here. He’s not around. I think it’s easy to make comments when you are an outsider. If he was in this situation, it might be a little bit different.”
Borowiecki was born and raised only a slapshot away from Canadian Tire Centre. Before joining the team as a player, he was a passionate fan and has lived through every ownership and management crisis in the franchise’s history.
He doesn’t like to hear the city and its hockey fans being badmouthed.
“I think it’s a little unfair to the people in the city, to the people here, the fans here, the team here, to say we should just up and move. There’s so much going on, there’s so much behind the scenes.”
Borowiecki said Ottawa is a “committed market” and he firmly disagrees with Cherry’s assessment. He also understands the reaction.
“I understand if you’re going to say something like that, it’s going to get a reaction. Again, it’s an outsider’s perspective.”
Earlier in last week, Borowiecki weighed in on the appearance of the billboards and supported Melnyk.
“I don’t think running a sports franchise is quite as easy as some people think it is,” he said. “There’s a lot to it that people can’t understand and don’t appreciate.
“Eugene’s stepped up big for this city. I remember growing up and being a fan when there was a real danger of losing this team. Fans might have gripes — certain sections of that fan base, especially, might take issues with things. But there was a real possibility a few years ago that we wouldn’t have a team here.”