SN will weather through the backlash, and in the end it's for the best. The show almost didn't exist this year, and I always thought it was in life support before that
Don is a legend we will all remember, but he's a ticking time-bomb for SN and this was the last straw. This firing isn't solely over one comment, it's looking at his career and what he will still be providing. He refuses to back down and his commentary on the actual game is pretty bad. So SN has an old man yaking his thoughts on live TV with no real value? It was bound to end suddenly
I was talking with buddies about this and I asked “so what did Cherry say in his segment the week before, or the week before that”? None of us could remember, nor could we remember the last thing he said that stuck with us, hockey related or not. In other words, his segment, which is half intro music and clips anyway, is neither informative or interesting.
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Glad he's gone. Antiquated dinosaur personality that for some reason kept getting a pass for all these years. His brand of "Canadian" certainly had its place, but its grating at best in this day and age. They need to bring in a new coach for Coaches Corner, perhaps a rotating cast of former and current coaches that can provide different insight.
I mean I disagreed with most things he said but he sold me on one thing. The Swedes. #### those guys!
Sweden had a different reputation back then. It was still the Cold War and Sweden was seen as socialist. They hadn't joined the EU yet and were officially neutral.
Calling her a "little broad" doesn't exactly seem reasonable.
I called her opinion a little broad. That's why it was preceded with an "it". For the record I have no idea how tall Jessica is but to be fair to me when you're 6'5 most people are little to you.
Ron MacLean is a corporate shill who after giving his long time friend and co host a thumbs up after the segment, immediately threw him under the bus the next day once complaints rolled in. Did Cherry choose poor words? Yes. Should he apologize? Yes, and he already said he worded it wrong. However I can't stand guys like MacLean, he was that kid that when him and his buddies did something bad at school he would sneak off to tell the teacher so he wouldn't get in trouble. With friends like that you don't need enemies.
I'm no Ron Maclean apologist and wouldn't mind seeing him move on, but I feel for him in this instance. He's likely got a producer in his ear as he's about to queue up the video footage and I'm sure he's not really listening to Cherry and assuming Don will stick to the script about people needing to wear poppy's and not really processing how things are going sideways as he nods and gives the thumbs up.
What frustrates me about SN is that they pushed a true broadcasting legend like Bob Cole out because he was getting a bit slow and bumbling up the names on occasion, while sticking with Cherry who was also getting incoherent and butchering the names because Cherry was bombastic and controversial which helped them with ratings. They knew the risks of carrying on with Cherry and finally got burned.
Ron MacLean is a corporate shill who after giving his long time friend and co host a thumbs up after the segment, immediately threw him under the bus the next day once complaints rolled in. Did Cherry choose poor words? Yes. Should he apologize? Yes, and he already said he worded it wrong. However I can't stand guys like MacLean, he was that kid that when him and his buddies did something bad at school he would sneak off to tell the teacher so he wouldn't get in trouble. With friends like that you don't need enemies.
This sounds more like a biker gang mentality. to “loyalty”. Ron did what he could. Maybe with some expectation that Don would be walking back his comments. I don’t think it reflects poorly on Ron at all, and he didn’t really throw Don under the bus.
I called her opinion a little broad. That's why it was preceded with an "it". For the record I have no idea how tall Jessica is but to be fair to me when you're 6'5 most people are little to you.
To be fair, I kind of was reading the whole post like Tony from The Sopranos.
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Sweden had a different reputation back then. It was still the Cold War and Sweden was seen as socialist. They hadn't joined the EU yet and were officially neutral.
The interview was from 1990. The Cold War was just about over, especially after the Berlin Wall came down in 1989. And it would have been difficult for Sweden to have joined the EU because it didn’t exist (until 1993, and Sweden joined 2 years later). They had a socialist party in power, but Sweden’s socialism was pretty mild. Sweden was never close to the USSR. They often suspected the Soviets of having subs in their waters in the 80s.
This fits with how I've viewed the extremes foaming at the mouth that he's been removed over this
Difficult to follow the dots that lead to some of the arguments, such as "Don should have a show until he's one-####ing-hundred because it's super neat to see the guy I watched as a kid still keep going". Despite very little entertainment if not for nostalgia, plus a lifetime of sexist, xenophobic, loud-mouth and angry close-mindedness spewed on a weekly basis to everyone's families.
I get it, a lot of the time it's hilarious. But honestly, it's not good content. And honestly, you all damn well know what he meant by what he said. And if not this, then ask him about slapshot accuracy in Women's hockey or if some Sweede with a visor starts playing chippy.
But, Don had a "good point"... Don fired for "good point"... Make statement about how we've all wronged vets?
I do love how quite a few articles and people like to leave out the you come here part of the quote. Yes of course the you people sounds innocent without the full quote.
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"Way to go Sportsnet. It takes a lot of what Jessica Yaniv was trying to get waxed to bring the guillotine down on an 85-year-old man, to toss him out — on Remembrance Day — for delivering a passionate sermon about the wearing of a poppy on … Remembrance Day. You guys are so tough you probably have to wear helmets and shin pads in the office.
For 39 years Don Cherry has been the face, the voice, and the proudest celebrator of the country’s chosen game, and Sportsnet snaps that career shut, hurls him off air, because what I will call “the usual crowd” got all huffy and screamingly righteous over what — at worst — was an indelicate phrase that was all of two words."
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"Way to go Sportsnet. It takes a lot of what Jessica Yaniv was trying to get waxed to bring the guillotine down on an 85-year-old man, to toss him out — on Remembrance Day — for delivering a passionate sermon about the wearing of a poppy on … Remembrance Day. You guys are so tough you probably have to wear helmets and shin pads in the office.
For 39 years Don Cherry has been the face, the voice, and the proudest celebrator of the country’s chosen game, and Sportsnet snaps that career shut, hurls him off air, because what I will call “the usual crowd” got all huffy and screamingly righteous over what — at worst — was an indelicate phrase that was all of two words."
There are a handful of NHL players and ex players who I really listen to. When they say something, including about matters broader than the game, I sit up and take notice.
Bobby Orr is not one of them.
Maybe Rex was focused more on the unfortunate choice of "you people" (which has taken on its own meaning over the years) than "you come here".
I have thought about things over the week and have watched the segment a few more times.
Its clear Cherry was getting a little worked up and was stumbling. Its true he should be used to the pressure of the moment under the lights on television, but this is a subject for which he is incredibly passionate and emotional.
His mistake was refusing to apologize the next day. He's old. He's proud.
I think SN reacted too quickly and should have waited a day or two. Gone back to Don again. They owed him that. A result of the rush to pile on, cancel culture is that people are forced to react too quickly. Things needed to cool down.
In hindsight I agree with Rex Murphy that he was treated very badly and should not have been fired for this error.
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