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''Coach's Corner'' was a commentary and analysis segment that aired from 1982 to 2019 during the first intermission of the ''
Hockey Night in Canada ''Hockey Night in Canada'' (often abbreviated ''Hockey Night'' or ''HNiC'') is a long-running program of broadcast ice hockey play-by-play coverage in Canada. With roots in pioneering hockey coverage on private radio stations as early as 1923, ...
'' (HNIC) television broadcast of
National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; , ''LNH'') is a professional ice hockey league in North America composed of 32 teams25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. The NHL is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Cana ...
(NHL) games. It featured
Don Cherry 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. After concluding a playing career in the A ...
, and was co-hosted by
Dave Hodge Dave Hodge (born January 8, 1945) is a Canadian sports announcer. Hodge worked for TSN, the CBC and CFRB 1010 radio in Toronto. Early years Born in Montreal, Hodge began his career as a sportswriter with the ''Chatham Daily News'' in 1965, t ...
from 1982 until 1986, and by
Ron MacLean Ronald Joseph Corbett MacLean (born April 12, 1960) is a Canadian sportscaster for the CBC and Rogers Media, best known as the host of ''Hockey Night in Canada'' from 1986 to 2014 and again since 2016. MacLean is also a former hockey referee. ...
from 1986 to 2019. The popularity of the segment led to Cherry placing seventh in the television show ''
The Greatest Canadian ''The Greatest Canadian'' is a 2004 television series consisting of 13 episodes produced by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) to identify one greatest Canadian of all time, according to those who watched and participated in the progr ...
'', ahead of
John A. Macdonald Sir John Alexander Macdonald (10 or 11January 18156June 1891) was the first prime minister of Canada, serving from 1867 to 1873 and from 1878 until his death in 1891. He was the dominant figure of Canadian Confederation, and had a political ...
, the first
Prime Minister of Canada The prime minister of Canada () is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the Confidence and supply, confidence of a majority of the elected House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons ...
, and
Wayne Gretzky Wayne Douglas Gretzky ( ; born January 26, 1961) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and former head coach. He played 20 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for four teams from 1979 to 1999. Nicknamed "the Great One ...
, considered one of the greatest hockey players. MacLean has referred to the show as "six minutes of psychotherapy for athletes". The show has also been described as "one of the most watched five minutes on Canadian TV", and Cherry as an "icon of Canadian TV hockey". The last airing of the segment was on November 9, 2019, two days before the firing of Cherry from ''Hockey Night in Canada'' for comments that suggested Canadian immigrants benefit from the sacrifices of veterans but do not wear Remembrance Day poppies.


Background

Cherry was hired by the
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is the Canadian Public broadcasting, public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a Crown corporation that serves as the national public broadcaster, with its E ...
(CBC) in 1980 by
Ralph Mellanby Ralph Mellanby (August 22, 1934 – January 29, 2022) was a Canadian sportscaster and television producer, who was the executive producer of ''Hockey Night in Canada'' broadcasts from 1966 to 1985 and on the production team for various Olympic G ...
, executive producer of ''
Hockey Night in Canada ''Hockey Night in Canada'' (often abbreviated ''Hockey Night'' or ''HNiC'') is a long-running program of broadcast ice hockey play-by-play coverage in Canada. With roots in pioneering hockey coverage on private radio stations as early as 1923, ...
'' (HNIC), to be an analyst for the
1980 Stanley Cup playoffs The 1980 Stanley Cup playoffs, the playoff tournament of the National Hockey League (NHL) began on April 8, after the conclusion of the 1979–80 NHL season. This season saw the addition of four teams from the disbanded World Hockey Associatio ...
. He was hired full-time for the following season as a
colour commentator A color commentator or expert commentator is a sports commentator who assists the main (play-by-play) commentator, typically by filling in when play is not in progress. The person may also be referred to as a summariser (outside North America) ...
, but his habit of cheering for particular teams and his lack of impartiality led to his dismissal from the role; ''Coach's Corner'' was created as a result, and was hosted by
Dave Hodge Dave Hodge (born January 8, 1945) is a Canadian sports announcer. Hodge worked for TSN, the CBC and CFRB 1010 radio in Toronto. Early years Born in Montreal, Hodge began his career as a sportswriter with the ''Chatham Daily News'' in 1965, t ...
and Cherry. Ron MacLean replaced Hodge when he was hired in 1986. Cherry earned "about $1 million", negotiating contracts that were less than market value for his services in discussions lasting "about 90 seconds". Editorial control of the program was the responsibility of MacLaren Advertising/Canadian Sports Network in the 1960s and 1970s, and of Ohlmeyer Communications and Molstar in the 1980s. When
Rogers Media Rogers Media Inc., operating as Rogers Sports & Media, is a Canadian subsidiary of Rogers Communications that owns the company's mass media and sports properties. Operations Current television brands owned by Rogers include two television sys ...
acquired control of HNIC following the company's 2013 acquisition of Canadian NHL broadcast rights (from 2014 to 2026), rumours of Cherry's impending dismissal from the broadcast were predicted, but ''Coach's Corner'' and both Cherry and MacLean were retained, albeit with a segment reduced from seven minutes to five. During a November 2013 show in the final year of CBC's broadcast, Cherry stated that Rogers Media should not "try and ruin a good thing, just leave us alone, and we'll be just as good next year". In an interview earlier that week, he had stated that "They've been saying that for 30 years...I know I'm No. 1 and ''Coach's Corner'' is No. 1 and what are you going to do?" During the first few years of Rogers Media control, Cherry and his bosses frequently argued, and during the
2014–15 NHL season The 2014–15 NHL season was the 98th season of operation (97th season of play) of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Phoenix Coyotes changed their name to the Arizona Coyotes prior to the season. The Los Angeles Kings became the first team ...
, he had an on-air outburst complaining about the reduction of broadcast time for ''Coach's Corner''. Rogers Media also cut all other appearances by Cherry on HNIC broadcasts, restricting him to ''Coach's Corner''. In a 2017 interview with ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', Cherry stated that other hockey television hosts "know all the stats, they know all the players, the whole deal" but that he "can pick out things no one else picks out". Scott Moore, president of
Rogers Sportsnet Sportsnet is a Canadian English-language discretionary sports specialty channel owned by Rogers Sports & Media. It was established in 1998 as CTV Sportsnet, a joint venture between CTV, Liberty Media, and Rogers Media. CTV parent Bell Globe ...
, had stated that he had "never met anybody who has a keener eye for the game".


Broadcast

Throughout the week, Cherry and MacLean prepared notes and sent producer Kathy Broderick a list of video clips to prepare for broadcast. Broderick would send them both an email on Friday morning, then MacLean would call Cherry at 9:30 Saturday morning to finalize the list of clips for that night's broadcast. Every Saturday for 33 years, Cherry answered the call with "Don's Bicycle Shop, Big Wheel Don talking", a gag carried over from his coaching days with the
Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern Conference. The t ...
when
Bobby Orr Robert Gordon Orr (born March 20, 1948) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player, widely acknowledged as one of the greatest players of all time. Orr used his skating speed, scoring, and play-making abilities to revolutionize the ...
once answered the phone in Cherry's office with "Don's Bicycle Shop". They spoke for about half an hour. He did not leave his house in the morning. Late each Saturday morning, Cherry concluded a telephone conversation with Broderick with the phrase "I'm going to be brilliant as usual". Cherry would not eat after 13:00, only drinking coffee, and would take an afternoon nap. At about 17:00, preparations began during story meetings that cover the entirety of the ''Hockey Night in Canada'' broadcast, including the pre-game show, Hockey Central Saturday, and Headlines. MacLean and Cherry arrived on the set at about 17:30, and reviewed highlights from the previous week's games. Cherry then sat in his set seat, and the crew adjusted lighting and camera angle for his suit. When the game began, MacLean and Cherry sat in a viewing room alone until the first intermission. ''Coach's Corner'' used a set independent from the rest of the HNIC broadcast, which resulted in Cherry never encountering HNIC's hosts and panelists. The set was created because Cherry was uncomfortable with the presence of a full crew and preferred a quiet set and refused an earpiece to receive instructions or notes from the producer. During the broadcast, only Cherry, MacLean, and the camera operator were on the set. Cherry has stated this was because he was not a professional broadcaster and was distracted by the presence of other personnel. Originally, the show featured a discussion of the first period of the game that was airing, followed by highlights of games from the previous week. With the increasing availability of video highlights from numerous online sports resources, such highlights became increasingly stale by the time they would air on Saturday night, so the show shifted its focus to more obscure and specific elements of the game for Cherry to analyse. General and special interest hockey stories were covered on the show. During the final broadcast of the 2017–18 NHL regular season, ''Coach's Corner'' was devoted to the
Humboldt Broncos bus crash On April 6, 2018, 16 people were killed and 13 were injured when a northbound Coach (bus), coach bus struck a westbound semi-trailer truck that blew through a stop sign near Armley, Saskatchewan, Armley, Saskatchewan, Canada. The driver of th ...
, which Cherry described as a "national nightmare". Cherry sometimes preceded his commentary with "I'm going to get in trouble for this" before making statements that might not be
politically correct "Political correctness" (adjectivally "politically correct"; commonly abbreviated to P.C.) is a term used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in society. ...
. Cherry reviewed the segment after it aired, and once again at home, making minor complaints to Broderick about the production. The
opening sequence A title screen (also called an opening screen or intro) is the method by which films or television programmes present their title and key production and cast members, utilizing conceptual visuals and sound (often an opening theme song with visua ...
featured Blue, a bull terrier Cherry received as a gift from Boston Bruins players.


Cherry's suits

Cherry has become famous for the suits he wore during ''Coach's Corner''. The suits were tailored at The Coop in northern Toronto, which assumed the role following the death of Cherry's longtime tailor. Cherry selected the material at Fabricland, which was styled at The Coop, then sent to a factory for tailoring. Up to five
yards The yard (symbol: yd) is an English unit of length in both the British imperial and US customary systems of measurement equalling 3  feet or 36 inches. Since 1959 it has been by international agreement standardized as exactly ...
of material were used for each suit to ensure that elements align properly. In April 2017, ''
Toronto Life ''Toronto Life'' is a monthly magazine about entertainment, politics and life in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ''Toronto Life'' also publishes a number of annual special interest guides about the city, including ''Real Estate'', ''Stylebook'', ''Eati ...
'' published an article rating that season's suits "from least to most offensive". Among them was a jacket he wore for the 22 April 2017 broadcast that many likened to spattered blood. He apologized during an interview the next day, saying that he had read
social media Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...
postings stating it was symbolic of Cherry "murdering the English language", and referring to him as
Dexter Dexter may refer to: People * Dexter (given name) * Dexter (surname) * Dexter (singer), Brazilian rapper Marcos Fernandes de Omena (born 1973) * Famous Dex, also known as Dexter, American rapper Dexter Tiewon Gore Jr. (born 1993) Places United ...
. During an interview on '' The Morning Show'' in December 2018, he stated that there were several suits he regretted wearing, but the "blood spray" suit was the most memorable.
Entertainment Tonight Canada ''Entertainment Tonight Canada'' (commonly shortened to ''ET Canada'') is a Canadian entertainment news television series that aired on the Global Television Network from 2005 to 2023. Its branding and format were based on the American entertainm ...
published a list of Cherry's most memorable suits in February 2019. During a November 2018 broadcast, ''Hockey Night in Canada'' conducted a Retro Jacket auction to raise funds for Hockey Fights Cancer. One of Cherry's blazers was auctioned for $23,550, and one worn by MacLean was auctioned for $17,941.


Advocacy

Cherry had used the show to promote rule changes. For example, he campaigned for no-touch icing in order to reduce injuries caused as a result of players colliding at the end boards when chasing the puck. When the rule was implemented, he criticized
referees A referee is an official, in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The official tasked with this job may be known by a variety of other titles ...
who improperly called the rule. He also campaigned for modifications to the protective equipment players wear to make it cause less injuries, rapping a hard plastic elbow pad on the table on air to make his point. He criticized
coaches Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...
for in-game replacement of a goalie performing poorly, instead of doing so during an intermission. He often targeted his messages to children, and proposed changes to children's hockey, such as requiring children's hockey leagues to use smaller pucks instead of those used by adults. He stated that young children have trouble handling the NHL regulation-sized pucks. On the show, he may preface comments to children with "You kids" or "You young kids"; for example, in a November 2014 show, he stated "I'm going to show you kids, you young goalies, how to act and how not to act" in a segment showing clips of NHL goalies. During the first intermission of game 2 of the
2018 Stanley Cup Finals The 2018 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2017–18 season and the culmination of the 2018 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Eastern Conference champion Washington Capitals defeated the Western Co ...
between the
Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The Capitals compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NH ...
and
Vegas Golden Knights The Vegas Golden Knights are a professional ice hockey team based in the Las Vegas Valley, Las Vegas metropolitan area. The Golden Knights compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division ...
, MacLean invited NHL Commissioner
Gary Bettman Gary Bruce Bettman (born June 2, 1952) is an American sports executive who serves as the NHL commissioner, commissioner of the National Hockey League (NHL), a post he has held since February 1, 1993. Previously, Bettman was a senior vice preside ...
, who was standing nearby, to participate in the segment. Cherry had stated that the league should expand to Quebec City, and that there has never been another rivalry in any sport like that between the Montreal Canadiens and the Quebec Nordiques. Bettman stated that Cherry's "popularity just went up in Quebec".


Criticism

Cherry's strong opinions at times led to repercussions, including several attempts by the CBC to fire him. In the early 1980s, as a result of his inability to pronounce names and for "butchering the language", CBC executives were prepared to fire him but refrained when Mellanby told them he would quit if Cherry was fired. Columnists have referred to him as a troglodyte and a
misogynist Misogyny () is hatred of, contempt for, or prejudice against women or girls. It is a form of sexism that can keep women at a lower social status than men, thus maintaining the social roles of patriarchy. Misogyny has been widely practised ...
for the views he expresses on the show. In 2004, the CBC tested running ''Coach's Corner'' on a seven-second delay after he made "inappropriate and reprehensible personal" statements on 24 January 2004 broadcast. He has stated that National Hockey League rule changes to limit fighting in the game, particularly the instigator rule, were made because "nerds don't want fighting" and that the lack of protection by enforcers of star players is why there is an increasing prevalence of injuries to the latter, and wanted enforcers in the game so that star players such as
Connor McDavid Connor Andrew McDavid (born January 13, 1997) is a Canadian professional ice hockey Centre (ice hockey), centre and Captain (ice hockey), captain of the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Selected first overall by the Oilers ...
would not have to fight. The segment was also criticized for being a dominant presence on ''Hockey Night in Canada'', and for focusing primarily on issues of interest to Cherry. He often used ''Coach's Corner'' to express some of his
right-wing Right-wing politics is the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position based on natural law, economics, authority, property ...
conservative views and
Canadian nationalism Canadian nationalism () has been a significant political force since the 19th century and has typically manifested itself as seeking to advance Canada's independence from the influence of the United Kingdom and United States. Since the 1960s, m ...
and paid tribute to Canadian law enforcement and the military. He has also endorsed conservative political candidates, and has made many references to "left-wing pinkos". In 2003, the hosts devoted an entire show to discussing the federal government's decision to refrain from participating in the 2003 invasion of Iraq and the
Iraq War The Iraq War (), also referred to as the Second Gulf War, was a prolonged conflict in Iraq lasting from 2003 to 2011. It began with 2003 invasion of Iraq, the invasion by a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition, which ...
led by the United States. The annual broadcast preceding or on
Remembrance Day Remembrance Day (also known as Poppy Day owing to the tradition of wearing a remembrance poppy) is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces me ...
included a video clip of Cherry walking in a "
war cemetery A war grave is a burial place for members of the armed forces or civilians who died during military campaigns or operations. Definition The term "war grave" does not only apply to graves: ships sunk during wartime are often considered to b ...
in France that's full of Canadian soldiers". Pat Hickey, writing for the ''
Montreal Gazette ''The Gazette'', also known as the ''Montreal Gazette'', is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper which is owned by Postmedia Network. It is published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the only English-language daily newspape ...
'' in 2014, stated that ''Coach's Corner'' is not the appropriate forum to honour the military or to discuss politics. In a February 2018 broadcast, Cherry stated that people who believe
climate change Present-day climate change includes both global warming—the ongoing increase in Global surface temperature, global average temperature—and its wider effects on Earth's climate system. Climate variability and change, Climate change in ...
are "cuckaloos", eliciting a response from
Catherine McKenna Catherine Mary McKenna (born August 5, 1971) is a Canadian lawyer and former politician who served as a Cabinet minister from 2015 to 2021. A member of the Liberal Party, McKenna was the minister of environment and climate change from 2015 to ...
, the federal
Minister of Environment and Climate Change The minister of environment and climate change () is a minister of the Crown in the Cabinet of Canada. The portfolio is responsible for the Environment and Climate Change Canada, as well as a number of other federal organizations including Park ...
. In a broadcast in 2008, he had referred to environmentalist
David Suzuki David Takayoshi Suzuki (born March 24, 1936) is a Canadian academic, science broadcaster, and environmental activist. Suzuki earned a PhD in zoology from the University of Chicago in 1961, and was a professor in the genetics department at the ...
as a "left-wing kook". Some of his proclamations on the show have been criticized for insulting Quebecois and European players, some of whom he has regarded as "soft". He has stated that Americans are ruining the NHL. In a 2011 article in '' Maisonneuve'', Mike Spry stated that ''Coach's Corner'' is "a caricature of sports commentary", describing it as a comedy and parody that is better suited to ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL'') is an American Late night television in the United States, late-night live television, live sketch comedy variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Michaels and Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC. The ...
''. He also called for Cherry and MacLean to be fired. In a 2014 article for
Postmedia News Postmedia Network Canada Corp. (also known as Postmedia Network, Postmedia News or Postmedia) is an American-owned Canadian-based media conglomerate consisting of the publishing properties of the former Canwest, with primary operations in En ...
, Scott Stinson stated that the segment is "tinged with
xenophobia Xenophobia (from (), 'strange, foreign, or alien', and (), 'fear') is the fear or dislike of anything that is perceived as being foreign or strange. It is an expression that is based on the perception that a conflict exists between an in-gr ...
".


Cherry's removal from ''Hockey Night in Canada'' and the end of ''Coach's Corner''

On 9 November 2019, Cherry made remarks during ''Coach's Corner'' suggesting that Canadian immigrants benefit from the sacrifices of veterans and do not wear
remembrance poppies A remembrance poppy is an artificial flower worn in some countries to commemorate their military personnel who died in war. Remembrance poppies are produced by veterans' associations, which exchange the poppies for charitable donations used to g ...
. He remarked, "You people that come here... you love our way of life, you love our milk and honey, at least you can pay a couple bucks for a poppy or something like that... These guys paid for your way of life that you enjoy in Canada, these guys paid the biggest price." Sportsnet apologized for the remarks, stating that his comments were discriminatory and offensive, and that they "do not represent our values and what we stand for as a network." His co-host, Ron MacLean also apologized via Twitter, expressing regret for his actions and for allowing Cherry make the comments. The NHL also released a statement on Cherry's comments saying "the comments made last night were offensive and contrary to the values we believe in." Cherry later told the ''
Toronto Sun The ''Toronto Sun'' is an English-language tabloid format, tabloid newspaper published daily in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The newspaper is one of several ''Sun'' tabloids published by Postmedia Network. The newspaper's offices are located at Pos ...
'' that he would not apologize for his comments stating "I have had my say". The
Canadian Broadcast Standards Council The Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) is an industry funded self-regulating organization created by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters to administer standards established by its own members, Canada's private broadcasters. The co ...
(CBSC) stated that its internal systems had been overloaded by a high number of complaints. Two days later, on 11 November, Remembrance Day, Sportsnet president Bart Yabsley announced that "following further discussions with Don Cherry after Saturday night's broadcast, it has been decided it is the right time for him to immediately step down". Speaking to the ''
Toronto Sun The ''Toronto Sun'' is an English-language tabloid format, tabloid newspaper published daily in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The newspaper is one of several ''Sun'' tabloids published by Postmedia Network. The newspaper's offices are located at Pos ...
'', Cherry commented "I know what I said and I meant it. Everybody in Canada should wear a poppy to honour our fallen soldiers... I would have liked to continue doing ''Coach's Corner''. The problem is if I have to watch everything I say, it isn't ''Coach's Corner''". He later said that if he had to do it again, he would have said "everybody". On 16 November 2019, MacLean addressed and reflected on the incident during ''Hockey Night in Canada'', the first without Cherry, also announcing that ''Coach's Corner'' is no more. Following the firing of Cherry,
Numeris Numeris (formerly the Bureau of Broadcast Measurement, or BBM Canada) is a Canadian audience measurement organization. Established on May 11, 1944 as a division of the Canadian Association of Broadcasters, Numeris is the sole provider of viewership ...
figures showed a slumping in the viewership of ''Hockey Night in Canada''. When the NHL season opened in October, the first Saturday night game featuring the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens drew an average audience of 1.247 million. Cherry's last broadcast on 9 November, a game that featured the Maple Leafs playing the Philadelphia Flyers, drew an average audience of 1.027 million; in the two weeks following Cherry's dismissal the eastern broadcast of ''Hockey Night in Canada'' failed to make the Numeris Top 30 ranked TV shows. On 13 December, the main game drew an average audience of 810,000 compared to 983,000 for the same weekend in 2018.


Awards

''Coach's Corner'' was nominated for a Best Sports Program or Series for the
22nd Gemini Awards The Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television's 22nd Gemini Awards were held on October 28, 2007, to honour achievements in Canadian television. The awards show, which was hosted by George Stroumboulopoulos, took place at the Conexus Arts Centre in ...
in 2007.


In popular culture

The album ''
Supporting Caste ''Supporting Caste'' is the fifth studio album by the Canadian punk rock band Propagandhi. It was released on March 10, 2009, by G7 Welcoming Committee Records and Smallman Records in North America, Hassle Records in the UK and Europe, and Gra ...
'' by the Canadian punk rock band
Propagandhi Propagandhi is a Canadian punk rock and metal band formed in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba in 1986 by guitarist Chris Hannah and drummer Jord Samolesky. The band is currently located in Winnipeg, Manitoba and completed by bassist Todd Kowalski ...
includes the song "Dear Coach's Corner", in which the singer directs questions to MacLean, asking for someone to explain the convergence of military rituals and hockey to his niece. It also refers to Cherry's ideology as "A strange and bitter fruit, that sad old man beside you keeps feeding to young minds as virtue". The show and its hosts have been parodied a number of times, including by ''
This Hour Has 22 Minutes ''This Hour Has 22 Minutes'' (commonly shortened to ''22 Minutes'' since 2009) is a weekly Canadian television comedy that airs on CBC Television. Launched in 1993 during Canada's 35th general election, the show focuses on Canadian politics wi ...
'' and the
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
account DonCherryParody. A review of the weekly show was printed in the ''
Toronto Sun The ''Toronto Sun'' is an English-language tabloid format, tabloid newspaper published daily in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The newspaper is one of several ''Sun'' tabloids published by Postmedia Network. The newspaper's offices are located at Pos ...
'' in a segment named ''Cherry Pickin. In November 2015, Cherry and MacLean were inducted into
Canada's Walk of Fame Canada's Walk of Fame () in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is a walk of fame that acknowledges the achievements and accomplishments of Canadians who have excelled in their respective fields. It is a series of maple leaf-like stars embedded in 13 de ...
. They unveiled their star on King Street West of Toronto's
Entertainment District An entertainment district is a type of arts district with a high concentration of movie theaters, theatres or other entertainment venues. Such areas may be officially designated by local governments with functional zoning regulations, as well as ...
in July 2016.


See also

* List of inductees of Canada's Walk of Fame


References


External links


Coach's Corner
at
Canada's Walk of Fame Canada's Walk of Fame () in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is a walk of fame that acknowledges the achievements and accomplishments of Canadians who have excelled in their respective fields. It is a series of maple leaf-like stars embedded in 13 de ...

Wrath of Grapes: The Don Cherry Story II
{{Hockey Night in Canada CBC Television original programming 1980s Canadian sports television series 1990s Canadian sports television series 2000s Canadian sports television series 2010s Canadian sports television series 1982 Canadian television series debuts 2019 Canadian television series endings