Kuznetsov tells Don Cherry to “shut his mouth” after ripping his “Birdman” goal celebration

In case you missed it, Washington Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov pulled off his famous “flying eagle” celebration during his game-tying goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning last week, prompting a reaction from legendary CBC broadcaster Don Cherry.

Up first, the Kuznetsov goal and celebration:

Nice goal… especially for a “jerk” like Kuznetsov…

Next, Grapes’ reaction:

Well… Kuznetsov isn’t one to take criticism laying down. He fired back at the legendary coach and broadcaster in a recent interview with the Washington Post and offered up some juicy quotes.

Check it out:

“If he want to say something, he can call me or he can meet me, but to call me jerk on TV doesn’t make him look good, you know?” the Capitals’ forward said on Tuesday. “But whatever he said, my parents teach me a lot of good things when I’m young, and I’m not going to say anything bad about a guy who’s much older than me.”

“You know, that’s what hockey should be for, for fun,” Kuznetsov said. “Fans like it, and you know, the way [Cherry] talk, it doesn’t make him look good, right? If he thinks he’s good, he should check his record when he was coaching in the CHL and that’s it, he should shut his mouth.”

For those wondering Cherry’s one year stint coaching in the OHL during the 2001-02 season was a dreadful 11-47-6. Yikes.