Amerks legend, Hockey Night in Canada icon, Don Cherry enters AHL Hall of Fame

• 'Grapes' played on 3 Calder Cup champions in Rochester and later coached colorful Amerks squads

After training camp with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1963, Don Cherry thought his future in professional hockey was out west.

He had played with Spokane of the Western League the year before. Then Rochester Americans coach Joe Crozier stepped in.

“I was looking to go back to the WHL and Joe goes, ‘No, you’re coming to Rochester.' I guess I could throw 'em pretty good, and it was the biggest break of my life,’’ Cherry said from his home near Toronto.

“I lived at 181 Elm Drive for 10 years, and it was the happiest time of my life. We won three championships and were so good, the NHL teams wouldn’t play exhibition games against us that’s how good we were.’’

Cherry’s 10 seasons in Rochester as a player, coach, Cadillac salesman, house painter and beloved sports figure led to a successful career coaching the NHL’s Boston Bruins.

And now it’s led to his induction into the American Hockey League Hall of Fame.

Cherry, 84, was enshrined Sunday at the AHL All-Star Classic in Springfield, Massachusetts.

He was honored with John Anderson, who won two Calder Cups and more than 400 games as coach of the Chicago Wolves; Murray Eaves, the league’s points-per-game leader with 680 in 536 games played; and Brad Smyth, a two-time 50-goal scorer and former league MVP.

Cherry joined Crozier (2012) and other Amerks legends such as Jody Gage (2006), Dick Gamble (2007), Steve Kraftcheck (2008), Bobby Perreault (2015) and Bronco Horvath (2014) to receive the AHL’s highest honor.

Cherry, the longtime Hockey Night in Canada personality, played in Hershey and Springfield but had his most success in Rochester as part of Cup champions in 1964-65, 1965-66 and 1967-68. The 1966-67 team lost in the finals.

He came out of retirement as a player/coach in 1971-72, then became the club’s full-time coach in 1972-73 as a favor to local owners trying to field an independently stocked roster.

That unforgettable Amerks team won 33 games, racked up 1,297 penalty minutes, led by Bob “Battleship’’ Kelly, and made the playoffs. The next year, Rochester, led by 50-goal scorer Murray Kuntz and tough guy John Wensink, won the Northern Division with 97 points.

“We had a tough team,’’ Cherry recalled fondly. “Battleship Kelly, John Wensink. Let me put it this way, there was an awful lot of 'Rochester flu' going around in those days, guys sitting in the stands when they had to play us.’’

Cherry, who was inducted into the Amerks Hall of Fame in 1987, coached the Bruins five seasons, leading them to two Stanley Cup finals. He then coached the Colorado Rockies.

“I lived in Denver, I lived in Boston, a lot of good places, but the best place I lived was Rochester,’’ he said. “Somehow I still feel it’s my hometown.’’

The North Division repeated as AHL All-Star Classic champions with a 1-0 shootout win over the Atlantic in the 3-on-3 round-robin format. Ex-Buffalo Sabre Nathan Gerbe of Cleveland scored twice for the North.

Amerks defenseman Brendan Guhle, an injury replacement for Zach Redmond, posted the sixth-fastest time ever (13.648) in the CCM Fastest Skater event during the skills competition. Springfield’s Anthony Greco won the event with a record 13.251.

The league resumes play on Thursday.

LROTH@Gannett.com