Is Don Cherry cancelled?*
Don Cherry
Former hockey player, coach, and television commentator
The long-time hockey commentator for “Coach's Corner” on Hockey Night in Canada was fired by Sportsnet in 2019 following on-air remarks which they called “divisive”. He implied new immigrants did not wear poppies to honor fallen soldiers, a symbol of remembrance in Canada. His comments were widely perceived as xenophobic:
“You people 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.”
Following the controversy, Don Cherry refused to apologize and doubled down on his remarks:
“I know what I said and I meant it. Still do. Everybody in Canada should wear a poppy to honor our fallen soldiers … I did not say minorities, I did not say immigrants. If you watch ‘Coach’s Corner,’ I did not say that. I said ‘everybody.’ And I said ‘you people … Irish, Scotch, anybody that’s newcomers to Canada, and they should wear a poppy to honor our dead from the past, whether they’re Scotch or Irish or English, or where they come from.”