When Don Cherry made the first Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Hockey video in 1989, enforcers still roamed the end of the bench and there was no such thing as an illegal hit to the head.
Twenty-six years later, the game has changed.
But the annual Christmas stocking stuffer, which is now on volume 27, remains pretty much the same. There’s highlight goals, saves, hits and a couple of fights thrown in at the end.
“I saw an interview and they asked Niklas Kronwall how he learned to hit like that in hockey,” said Cherry. “And he said, ‘Well, in Sweden we used to get Rock’Em Sock’Em Hockey when we were kids.