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Hockey commentator Don Cherry (file photo).Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press

Don Cherry isn't happy about Russian sniper Nail Yakupov's comments regarding Canadian hockey players.

The commentator used Twitter to respond to a report Yakupov told a Russian website that Canadian players are "dirty."

The No. 1 pick of the 2012 NHL by the Edmonton Oilers, Yakupov played two seasons with the Ontario Hockey League's Sarnia Sting, collecting 80 goals and 80 assists in 107 games.

"I see where Nail Yakupov said Canadian hockey players are dirty," Cherry tweeted Wednesday. "Let me see... We let him take a Canadian kids (sic) spot in the Canadian Hockey League, let him learn his hockey in our program, treat him royally, give him great coaching so he can go number one overall and he calls us Dirty."

Canada will meet tournament hosts Russia on Monday in the final Pool B round-robin game for both teams the world junior hockey championship in Ufa.

Cherry, who has a long history of criticizing European players, added: "I could care less what Nail thinks of us, what bugs me, he took a Canadian kids (sic) spot in the Canadian Hockey League."

Cherry has more than 104,000 Twitter followers.

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