News Article: Don Cherry Fired

[Masked]

Just Ron would be already infinitely better.

Hard no on that. Ron should have been let go along with Cherry. Or even before him. His hometown hockey stuff is unwatchable while Cherry was like a car wreck, horrible but you can't look away.

 

[Tighthead]

I personally liked how Coaches Corner was not just about NHL hockey, and how they usually had some great "Canadiana" pieces that might not even be about hockey if it was important enough.

I appreciate the fact that Cherry was an unapologetic die hard Canadian that would usually do a great job a highlighting the little things that make this nation and our people great. Its sad that it had to end this way for him (although its probably the right time for him to go), but I will always salute him for his passion for this country of ours. Not enough Canadians are outwardly passionate about our country, and I do think that its a bit of a shame myself.

It's a shame how many of his supporters are conflating patriotism and xenophobia.

 

[otown]

Long overdue. Sportsnet couldn't look the other way on this one! I was very surprised Ron didn't intervene but he has since apologized realizing he should have.
Don is an "old old school" guy and as right wing as you can get. The world has changed and Don hasn't.

 

[The Lewler]

It's a shame how many of his supporters are conflating patriotism and xenophobia.

I'm just glad someone understands the difference between xenophobia and racism.

His statement was xenophobic. Not racist.

 

[Agent Zub]

I think they need to simply retire the segment and come up with something new and fresh. Honestly how difficult is it to fill 10 minutes on air with something hockey related?

Even a "Player's Corner" where they alternate every show with a new guest involving a retired former player who joins Maclean to share their hockey thoughts would be better than Don Cherry at this point. Imagine how awesome it would be to have guys like Iginla, Forsberg, Belfour, Alfrdsson, Messier, Koivu, Lecavalier etc. join the show and share their knowledge on the current game.

Maybe give it a better name than "Player's Corner" though as that sounds a bit taboo.

Hire this guy

 

[Sensfan4life]

Wow! Wild. About time, I suppose. If it was anyone else, the firing would have seemed to be guaranteed but, with Don, I really wasn't sure what to expect.

The guy knows the Xs & Os pretty well and has a good eye for the details of the game, but everything else about his public presentation - be it the persona or the person - was just abhorrent.

About time???

20 years too late IMO.

 

[Sensfan4life]

My guess is they probably asked him to apologize on air, he refused, and they told him to pack his bags.

Seems likely.

 

[FolignoQuantumLeap]

I'm just glad someone understands the difference between xenophobia and racism.

His statement was xenophobic. Not racist.

Sure. But I think most people understand that he was pretty clearly saying that it was non whites that weren't wearing poppies. He was rambling about how downtown toronto and mississauga aren't like small town Canada and that "you people that come here" don't show veterans respect. I think we all know what he was getting at there. You can call it either or here.

 

[Cosmix]

With who instead?


Genuinely curious.

For me, I would like to have more analytical people on Coaches Corner, people who have played, coached & managed teams who can provide interesting anecdotal stories, informed comment , etc. Some I would like to watch would include: Bryan Burke & Pierre McGuire. I might also like to just have Ron Maclean as host with invited guests to discuss specific topics, as someone else suggested. It does not have to be the same coach every night as that could get tiresome.

 

[Agent Zub]

I'm just glad someone understands the difference between xenophobia and racism.

His statement was xenophobic. Not racist.

I think Don is more xenophobic than racist as well but how do you think he identifies the "you people" who "come here to enjoy our milk and honey"?

 

[Cosmix]

Hard no on that. Ron should have been let go along with Cherry. Or even before him. His hometown hockey stuff is unwatchable while Cherry was like a car wreck, horrible but you can't look away.

I agree with you that Hometown Hockey was not very interesting; however, I like Ron Maclean's style and think he could be a great host if he invited interesting guests. No to Strombobsovitch.

 

[FolignoQuantumLeap]

I think Don is more xenophobic than racist as well but how do you think he identifies the "you people" who "come here to enjoy our milk and honey"?

Papers please

 

[Tighthead]

Sure. But I think most people understand that he was pretty clearly saying that it was non whites that weren't wearing poppies. He was rambling about how downtown toronto and mississauga aren't like small town Canada and that "you people that come here" don't show veterans respect. I think we all know what he was getting at there. You can call it either or here.

It was provably bigoted and xenophobic, and probably racist as well.

 

[The Lewler]

I think Don is more xenophobic than racist as well but how do you think he identifies the "you people" who "come here to enjoy our milk and honey"?

Because we have no proof of racial animus. Immigrant is not a race. Not all immigrants share the same or similar immutable physical characteristics. Xenophobic is the right word for prejudice against people from other countries.

Don says "you people" a lot, and while in this case it was "you people come to our country" which tipped it over to immigrants instead of "you people walking around enjoying our milk and honey" , and based on his history, I'm not convinced he is a vicious racist.. I see clear xenophobia and bigotry. Some may think that's semantics but I don't think so, I think its accurate.

Also, there is weird tendance to then claim that someone saying its xenophobia not racism is diminishing this. That's also not true. Two things can be true at once. That claiming he is a racist is not supported by evidence, and he made xenophobic and bigot remarks and Sportsnet was right to fire him.

 

[Agent Zub]

Because we have no proof of racial animus. Immigrant is not a race. Not all immigrants share the same or similar immutable physical characteristics. Xenophobic is the right word for prejudice against people from other countries.

Don says "you people" a lot, and while in this case it was "you people come to our country" which tipped it over to immigrants instead of "you people walking around enjoying our milk and honey" , and based on his history, I'm not convinced he is a vicious racist.. I see clear xenophobia and bigotry. Some may think that's semantics but I don't think so, I think its accurate.

Also, there is weird tendance to then claim that someone saying its xenophobia not racism is diminishing this. That's also not true. Two things can be true at once. That claiming he is a racist is not supported by evidence, and he made xenophobic and bigot remarks and Sportsnet was right to fire him.

Right but when Don is walking around Toronto I guarantee you he is identifying immigrants based on the colour of their skin. I sincerely doubt anyone see's a white person in Canada and automatically assumes they are an immigrant while it is not the case for other races. That's just reality.

Anyway I think that most people who are xenophobic are most likely racist as well. Or at least they are a sizeable subset of the group.

Don's ideal Canada and NHL is from the 1950s.

 

[Tuna99]

I think Cherry represents the views of the country more then we like to admit or want to accept, like old Trump down south.

 

[L'Aveuglette]

Good. Should've happened 20 years ago.

 

[aragorn]

I'm surprised it took this long, given everything he has said over the yrs. I assume they will move away from coaches corner & come up with something different for Burke to replace him. Maybe something along the lines of GM Talk, what's this GM thinking, what should this GM do, should this GM make a trade, something like that.

They could also go to another round table of some kind, wonder what happens to Ron without Don now given they brought Ron back after the George S flopped. CBC/Rogers suck so much, they need a complete overhaul of HNIC to make it more relevant today, but that didn't work so well with George. IMO people like to hear from former players & the more former players they have the more likely people will tune in to listen to what they have to say. And there are plenty of those guys around with strong opinions in every market including in Ottawa.

 

[L'Aveuglette]

I'm surprised it took this long, given everything he has said over the yrs. I assume they will move away from coaches corner & come up with something different for Burke to replace him. Maybe something along the lines of GM Talk, what's this GM thinking, what should this GM do, should this GM make a trade, something like that.

They could also go to another round table of some kind, wonder what happens to Ron without Don now given they brought Ron back after the George S flopped. CBC/Rogers suck so much, they need a complete overhaul of HNIC to make it more relevant today, but that didn't work so well with George. IMO people like to hear from former players & the more former players they have the more likely people will tune in to listen to what they have to say. And there are plenty of those guys around with strong opinions in every market including in Ottawa.

I......agree?

Indeed it would be a great idea to bring on someone with coaching/playing experience who can break down the game and stay away from praising the military constantly. Not that I don't support our troops. but I don't see the point in glorifying war/imperialism every Saturday night during a sports game.

 

[foggyvisor]

I personally liked how Coaches Corner was not just about NHL hockey, and how they usually had some great "Canadiana" pieces that might not even be about hockey if it was important enough.

I appreciate the fact that Cherry was an unapologetic die hard Canadian that would usually do a great job a highlighting the little things that make this nation and our people great. Its sad that it had to end this way for him (although its probably the right time for him to go), but I will always salute him for his passion for this country of ours. Not enough Canadians are outwardly passionate about our country, and I do think that its a bit of a shame myself.

The whole persona was a phony
In 2003, on coaches corner, he advocated to put the troops in needless danger. This would have done exponentially more harm to them than someone not wearing a poppy.

He probably had the right intention but unfortunately he is really, really dumb. Sportsnet never should have hired him.

 

[Tighthead]

The whole persona was a phony
In 2003, on coaches corner, he advocated to put the troops in needless danger. This would have done exponentially more harm to them than someone not wearing a poppy.

He probably had the right intention but unfortunately he is really, really dumb. Sportsnet never should have hired him.

Classic case of a guy who chose not to serve, as is his right, and then exploits the sacrifice of others. These guys always seem to beat the war drum loudest.

Every veteran I have seen or heard being interviewed is uncomfortable with what he said.

 

[Pierre from Orleans]

He usually talks about Leaf games and players. The other games and players have not received equal treatment by Sportsnet and Coaches Corner.

Yes and no. Usually Ron brings up clips of plays that just happened before the intermission and they dissect it. Definitely more favoritism towards the Leafs and Bruins but they do talk about other teams

 

[Rysto]

So, I presume that some of Sportsnet's criteria for his replacement are going to be:

- Very familiar with the Toronto market
- Popular with Toronto fans
- Knows the game

How about Mats Sundin?

 

[Laphroaig]

Goodbye and good riddance. I've loathed Don Cherry from his first appearance on Coaches Corner. Hell I hated him when he coached Boston and Colorado. He's always been a narcissistic blowhard with a powerful streak of xenophopia and racism.

His love for the troops was best expressed in his fury over the decision not to send them to needless deaths in the Iraq war. I sure as hell won't miss him.

 

[BonkTastic]

It's a shame how many of his supporters are conflating patriotism and xenophobia.

Yep.

All he needed to say was "more people should wear poppies". Instead he went and targeted immigrants for no good reason.