I for one will kind of miss Grapes, mostly for the nostalgia from watching HNIC when I was a kid back when it was actually good. Wasn't his biggest fan or anything but thought he provided some entertainment, which is really what pro sports are about. At least he took a stance on things, even if often that stance was poorly defended and xenophobic. What his segments did was invite people to agree or disagree with him, which involves the audience to a greater degree than the simple reporting and fence sitting most pundits do now.
Definitely passed his best before date, probably by more than a decade. Rogers letting him go on Remembrance Day just seemed petty and small, which I guess has always been the prevailing attitudes at Sportsnet.