Don Cherry

This article is about the former hockey broadcaster and coach. For other uses, see Don Cherry (disambiguation).

Don Cherry
Cherry in 2010
Born (1934-02-05) February 5, 1934 (age 90)
Kingston, Ontario, Canada
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 180 lb (82 kg; 12 st 12 lb)
Position Defence
Shot Left
Played for Boston Bruins
Coached for Boston Bruins
Colorado Rockies
Playing career 1954–1972
Coaching career 1971–1980

Donald Stewart Cherry (born February 5, 1934) is a Canadian former ice hockey player, coach, and television commentator. He played one game in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the Boston Bruins, and later coached the team for five seasons after concluding a playing career in the American Hockey League, leading the team to four division titles and two appearances in the Stanley Cup Finals.

From 1986 to 2019, Cherry co-hosted Coach's Corner—a segment aired during CBC's Saturday-night NHL broadcast Hockey Night in Canada, with Ron MacLean. Nicknamed Grapes, he is known for his outspoken manner and opinions, and his flamboyant dress.[1][2] By the 2018–19 NHL season, Cherry and MacLean had hosted Coach's Corner for 33 seasons.[3] From 1984 to 2019, Cherry hosted Grapevine, a short-form radio segment with fellow sportscaster Brian Williams. He created and starred in the direct-to-video series Don Cherry's Rock'Em Sock'em Hockey from 1989 to 2018.

In 2004, Cherry was voted by viewers as the seventh-greatest Canadian of all time in the CBC miniseries The Greatest Canadian. In March 2010, his life was dramatized in a two-part CBC movie, Keep Your Head Up, Kid: The Don Cherry Story, based on a script written by his son, Timothy Cherry. In March 2012, CBC aired a sequel, The Wrath of Grapes: The Don Cherry Story II.

Cherry has expressed controversial political views for which he has faced criticism, including remarks he made regarding Canada's lack of support for the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and denying climate change. In November 2019, Cherry was fired by Sportsnet from Hockey Night in Canada for making comments towards immigrants in Canada during his show in support of folks purchasing Remembrance poppys.[4][5][6][7][8]

  1. ^ "The Don Cherry Lexicon". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved December 1, 2007.
  2. ^ "Don Stewart Cherry". The Hockey Hall of Fame. Retrieved September 30, 2015.
  3. ^ "Interview with Cherry and MacLean". Retrieved February 3, 2018.
  4. ^ Allen, Kevin. "Hockey Night in Canada analyst Don Cherry fired after making racist comment on air". USA TODAY.
  5. ^ "Don Cherry's racist rant doesn't receive support of Royal Canadian Legion". Yahoo Sports. November 12, 2019. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  6. ^ Bonesteel, Matt; Strauss, Ben; Bieler, Des (November 12, 2019). "Don Cherry fired from Sportsnet after criticizing immigrants on 'Hockey Night in Canada'". The Washington Post. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  7. ^ Pingue, Frank (November 29, 2019). "Hockey world watching as NHL deals with fallout over racism scandals". Reuters. Retrieved August 18, 2024. a popular hockey commentator was fired for remarks that were widely viewed as a racist attack on the patriotism of Canadian immigrants
  8. ^ "Don Cherry on relationship with Ron MacLean: 'I don't think we'll ever be friends again'". Yahoo Sports. May 18, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2023. The longstanding intermission show on Hockey Night in Canada ended in 2019 when the then-85-year-old Cherry went on a racist rant, targeting Canadian immigrants for not wearing the red poppy on Remembrance Day.