Don Cherry’s son, Tim, shared new details on his father’s controversial exit from Hockey Night in Canada. His account offers a behind-the-scenes look and raises new questions about how the situation unfolded.
Cherry lost his job in 2019 after remarks he made during his Coach’s Corner segment on Hockey Night in Canada. His ‘you people’ comment sparked outrage on social media, as viewed it as racially motivated. However, his son said his father referred to Canadians as a whole.
Cherry, 92, built a strong reputation during his career as both a coach and pundit. He often spoke passionately about the importance of buying a poppy as a sign of respect for the military on Remembrance Day.
Don Cherry’s Son Reveals Executives Wanted an On-Air Apology
Don Cherry‘s son revealed that a Rogers executive called him and asked him to try to convince his father to apologize. He emphasized that his father makes his own decisions.
Tim Cherry revealed that the executives wanted his father to read a pre-written apology on-air during Hockey Night in Canada. They also asked the former Boston Bruins head coach to make changes to Coach’s Corner.
“[The executives] wanted him to say that he was taking sensitivity courses. And then they wanted him to do something else every Coach’s Corner. The guy I was talking to, you [could] see he was really struggling with this,” Cherry told Can’t Be Censored. “I think maybe some other higher-ups were saying, ‘Just keep putting the hurdles to [Don] in case he says yes to one, then he’s going to say no to the next one.’”
Cherry said the public explanation for his father’s firing did not reflect the full story.
“I said to [my dad], ‘Why don’t you go out and tell people that they wanted you to take sensitivity courses?’ He says, ‘It sounds like I’m whining. I don’t want to sound like I’m whining,’”
Cherry’s Son Says Others Put Ron MacLean in a Difficult Situation
GettyOTTAWA – FEBRUARY 3: (L-R) Ron MacLean and Don Cherry of CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada give a thumbs up salute before a game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Ottawa Senators on February 3, 2007 at the Scotiabank Place in Ottawa, Canada. The Maple Leafs won 3-2 in shootout overtime. (Photo by Phillip MacCallum/Getty Images)
Cherry’s son also shared his thoughts on Ron MacLean, who faced criticism from hockey fans after the exit. He said he empathizes with MacLean and believes others put him in a difficult situation.
MacLean apologized on-air after Cherry’s firing, which did not sit well with some of the former Bruins coach’s supporters. Tim Cherry said his father mended fences with MacLean, despite ups-and-down. He added that the Hockey Night in Canada host faced unfair treatment as well.
“I got to be honest, I think Rogers threw Ron under the bus just as bad as they threw [my dad] under the bus. And I think what they did was they just kind of let Ron take the brunt of the fury and didn’t protect him,” he told Can’t Be Censored. “[My family] think of Ron as a friend and I hope he thinks of us as a friend. It’s just you’re in the media, right? So, it gets played out ten different ways.”
Cherry continued to discuss hockey on his own podcast until announcing his retirement last year. MacLean, meanwhile, continues to appear regularly on Hockey Night in Canada and CBC’s Olympic coverage.
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