NHL: Pluses and minuses around the league

Three former N.H.L. enforcers said they have accepted Don Cherry's apology for calling them "pukes," "turncoats" and "hypocrites" on a "Hockey Night in Canada" telecast Oct 6. Cherry, a cantankerous analyst, apologized during the show Saturday, and called Stu Grimson, Chris Nilan and Jim Thomson, "my type of guys."



Grimson, Nilan and Thomson issued a statement Sunday saying, "Messrs. Grimson, Nilan and Thomson wish to state that they appreciate the words Mr. Cherry used and that the apology is accepted."



The statement, issued by a Nashville law firm where Grimson is a lawyer, also said that in light of the apology, the three do not plan to sue Cherry for his remarks.



Cherry touched off controversy during his popular segment by saying that critics of fighting in hockey had used the off-season deaths of Derek Boogaard, Rick Rypien and Wade Belak to advance their cause, and included Grimson, Nilan and Thomson among those critics.



But only Thomson has come out against fighting, saying that it played a role in his postcareer problems with addiction and depression.



"I've got to admit I was wrong on a lot of things," Cherry said during Saturday's "Hockey Night in Canada" telecast. "I put down three enforcers with snapback hats, tough guys, my type of guys, I threw them under the bus. I'm sorry about it, I really am."



Cherry apologized at length for misrepresenting Grimson and Nilan's views on fighting, and for suggesting that they had postcareer addiction problems like Thomson's. Grimson has not said he has had such problems, and Nilan, who has, said his addiction issues were not related to his career as an enforcer.



"These guys are three good guys," Cherry said. "I'm sorry that I put them down."



In a separate statement issued Sunday, Grimson urged Canadians concerned about the vitriol in the discourse on "Hockey Night" to contact the CBC ombudsman.



"The CBC is your network; you pay for it," Grimson said. "And you hold the network to certain standards and values. Among those values is the obligation to ??treat individuals with honesty and respect.' "