One week after being fired from Coach’s Corner by Sportsnet, Don Cherry has launched the first episode of a new weekly podcast.
The inaugural episode of Don Cherry’s Grapevine dropped Tuesday morning, featuring Cherry and his son Tim.
Cherry addressed the controversy around his firing head on, including co-host Ron MacLean’s move to – in MacLean’s words “choose principle over friendship” following the Nov. 9 Coach’s Corner segment – which MacLean addressed during Saturday’s Hockey Night in Canada broadcast.
“You heard Ron’s version, he’s still a friend. I’m a little disappointed, but I won’t go any further than that…everybody knows what I said. I offered to explain, not an apology, but I was going to smooth it over and they made conditions that made it impossible…I just couldn’t do it, and I guess I bit the bullet…I don’t know what else to say,” said Cherry. “I’m now unemployed except for doing this beautiful podcast.”
“Just two little words, just seemed to set everybody off, but hey that’s the way life is. I lived in a vicious world and I lasted 38 years. Happy to be there for 38 years, and if I gotta go, I’m glad I’m going on my shield,” added Cherry.
“It’s a different world out there with the cancel culture. They had their eyes set on you, they had their guns set on you this year for sure. I think there was a lot of fake outrage and that’s what happened,” responded Tim.
“On to better glories…one door closes, another door opens up…and this is fun for me,” said Cherry.
The podcast promises to be a longer version of Coach’s Corner, including Cherry’s reflections on current NHL developments, as well as clips from the original Grapevine interview shows recorded in the 1980s, which aired on CHCH-TV Hamilton. Maurice “Rocket” Richard was highlighted in Tuesday’s episode.
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