Latest news with #RonMacLean
National Post
8 hours ago
- Health
- National Post
WARMINGTON: After MacLean's overdue apology to Grapes, others need to follow suit
It was a sorry excuse for how to treat a longtime friend and partner, one that deserved a big 'I'm sorry' from one broadcast star to an even bigger legend. Article content That mea culpa had to happen and now it has. Article content Ron MacLean has apologized, Don Cherry said, for his media interview suggesting his former partner was in a hospital in Boston in 2019 and that the illness led to Grapes planning an exit strategy from Coach's Corner. Article content Article content Cherry was owed the apology. He is owed one from MacLean for what he did back then — essentially saving his own hide and throwing his partner to the wolves. But his comments in the Kingston Whig Standard, which ran in other Postmedia papers, were unconscionable. Article content MacLean told award-winning sports scribe Gare Joyce, 'I think that pneumonia scare was it. The pneumonia said to Don, 'It's time.' He had to think, 'Why is this grind suddenly so hard?' He was ready to have an exit strategy. From that moment on, he was plotting a way out. The first opportunity (to end Coach's Corner) was going to be a happy one for Don. And I thought he did it well.' Article content Article content The story also said Cherry was in a Boston hospital as a result of the pneumonia. Article content Article content Whether the information was correct or not, MacLean should not have talked about Cherry's health nor made the suggestion his departure was the result of an elaborate 'exit strategy.' Article content BREAKING— Cherry disputes MacLean's claim 'Poppygate' was TV exit strategy | Toronto Sun — Joe Warmington (@joe_warmington) July 12, 2025
Toronto Sun
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Toronto Sun
WARMINGTON: After MacLean's overdue apology to Grapes, others need to follow suit
Cherry says former co-host apologized for interview commenting on his health, alleged Sportsnet 'exit strategy' Get the latest from Joe Warmington straight to your inbox Then-Hockey Night in Canada co-hosts Ron MacLean, left, and Don Cherry listen to an announcement at a news conference in 2014. Photo by Craig Robertson / Toronto Sun It was a sorry excuse for how to treat a longtime friend and partner, one that deserved a big 'I'm sorry' from one broadcast star to an even bigger legend. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account That mea culpa had to happen and now it has. Ron MacLean has apologized, Don Cherry said, for his media interview suggesting his former partner was in a hospital in Boston in 2019 and that the illness led to Grapes planning an exit strategy from Coach's Corner . This was confirmed by Cherry himself. 'Ron came by the house Sunday and he said he was sorry,' said Grapes of his partner of more than 35 years on Hockey Night in Canada before the infamous 'Poppygate scandal' that got Cherry fired from Rogers Sportsnet in 2019. The front page for the Sunday, July 13, 2025, edition of the Toronto Sun. Photo by Toronto Sun Cherry was owed the apology. He is owed one from MacLean for what he did back then — essentially saving his own hide and throwing his partner to the wolves. But his comments in the Kingston Whig Standard , which ran in other Postmedia papers, were unconscionable. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. MacLean told award-winning sports scribe Gare Joyce, 'I think that pneumonia scare was it. The pneumonia said to Don, 'It's time.' He had to think, 'Why is this grind suddenly so hard?' He was ready to have an exit strategy. From that moment on, he was plotting a way out. The first opportunity (to end Coach's Corner ) was going to be a happy one for Don. And I thought he did it well.' Read More The story also said Cherry was in a Boston hospital as a result of the pneumonia. Cherry said he was not in a Boston hospital, did not miss time on his show that season or the beginning of the next and did not orchestrate his exit. In fact, he told the Toronto Sun he feels management was looking for a way to move him along. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Whether the information was correct or not, MacLean should not have talked about Cherry's health nor made the suggestion his departure was the result of an elaborate 'exit strategy.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Cherry said he was 'disappointed' MacLean would do that and that he wasn't welcome at his home any more. But MacLean went to his home. How that meetings went is unknown. MacLean has not returned a request for a comment and other than Cherry confirming it happened, he declined to say much other than he 'ignored' what he was told. Cherry told me Saturday that he didn't have any feelings for MacLean anymore. In a letter to the editor Monday in the Toronto Sun , Hockey Hall of Famer Bobby Orr wrote, 'I only have one thing to say to you Ron MacLean. Shame on you.' Legendary @BobbyOrr speaks out in a letter to the editor in the Toronto Sun on @Ron_MacLean revealing details about @CoachsCornerDC 's illness in 2019 and assertions the poppygate scandal was utliized by Grapes as an exit strategy because being tired -- Cherry has already… — Joe Warmington (@joe_warmington) July 14, 2025 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. While MacLean has not spoken publicly, he is quoted in a Toronto Star column saying, 'I was completely out of line to engage in the conjecture and to share details of Don's health scare in 2019. I am deeply sorry. I've apologized to Don.' It's a start, but it's time to fix the damage done to Cherry by the NHL, Hockey Hall of Fame, Hockey Night in Canada and the federal government. Cherry should be in the Hall of Fame in either the builders' category or the media and broadcast category and this should be done as soon as possible. There is no one outside of the hall who is more deserving of it and there is no one on the broadcast side of the game who has had a bigger impact on the NHL over the last four decades than Cherry. Cherry should also be bestowed the Order of Canada — for his hockey contributions, but also for his avid support of Canada, its military, police, first responders and nationalism. There is nobody more patriotic than him. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. On top of that, he should be reinstated by Sportsnet so he can retire with the honour he deserves after six decades as a player, coach and broadcaster. No one is saying Cherry should go back on air, but they could do it symbolically. They could do a special segment with Cherry and MacLean one last time on his porch, as I have done numerous times since they threw him under the bus. @CoachsCornerDC explains his 'disappointment' in Ron MacLean and that he is not welcome to his home as far as his wife is concerned following a recent interview in which conveys personal health information and unsubstantiated narratives how he left Coach's Corner in 2919 — Joe Warmington (@joe_warmington) July 12, 2025 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. It's not hard. It's the right thing do to. They need to do something. He's 91 and Cherry is an iconic, historic and beloved national treasure. Even those he has criticized have said that. He's never been racist, misogynistic or discriminatory. He just tells it like it is — and that is what made him who he was, why he was so good and the reason his show was appointment viewing for so long. Nobody wanted to miss Coach's Corner . And sorry, Ron, it was not because of you. It was because of Cherry. He was the star of the show. When MacLean was fired back in the day, it was Grapes who worked behind the scenes — and with me on some of it — to get him back on the air. MacLean has not been a good friend to Cherry in return. However, his effort to apologize for this and to try to make things right is appropriate and noted. Now it's time for everybody else who has cast away and cancelled this legend to do the same and make amends on the mistreatment of a great Canadian while they still can. RECOMMENDED VIDEO Columnists NFL Golf Editorial Cartoons World
Toronto Star
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Toronto Star
Sidekicks to side-swipes: The chasm grows between Don Cherry and Ron MacLean
Don Cherry, left, denied former on-air partner Ron MacLean's claim Cherry orchestrated his 2019 departure from 'Hockey Night in Canada' as an 'exit strategy' because of a health scare. Marissa Baecker Getty Images flag wire: false flag sponsored: false article_type: Opinion : sWebsitePrimaryPublication : publications/toronto_star bHasMigratedAvatar : false : Opinion articles are based on the author's interpretations and judgments of facts, data and events. More details
Toronto Sun
21 hours ago
- Sport
- Toronto Sun
Letters to the Editor, July 14, 2025
Monday letters Photo by Illustration / Toronto Sun Suggesting Don Cherry used encouraging people to wear poppies on Remembrance Day as an exit strategy from Coach's Corner , revealing he had pneumonia in 2019 and that he doesn't have many friends, I have only one thing to say to you Ron MacLean: Shame on you. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Bobby Orr One of Grapes's millions of friends and fans (When one of hockey's greats speaks out, take heed.) CAMERA SHY The Parkside Dr. speed camera has been destroyed six times now. I'm sure it costs a lot to replace all that technology and to put some surveillance cameras nearby. And yet, the punks are still knocking the camera out at will. Maybe Toronto Police should put an officer on a stakeout to catch the criminals in the act? That would be a lot cheaper than replacing the cameras. And since there has not been a single arrest so far, I'm thinking they need live people to ensure that the camera stays intact. Arnie Jackson Toronto (Hopefully, surveillance helps capture the destructive morons.) FEAR NOT I think what we really need up here in the 51st state is a leader who is not afraid to 'drain the swamp' as President Donald Trump is doing in the U.S. Maybe someone such as Travis Dhanraj could be a candidate and he could start by abolishing the CBC. That would be a step in the right direction since Mr. Dhanraj seems to be looking for work at present. Roger Lewis Brampton (He'd be loudly applauded for doing so.) Golf Toronto & GTA Editorial Cartoons Toronto Blue Jays Columnists
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Don Cherry ‘very disappointed' by Ron MacLean's comments about health, Hockey Night in Canada exit
Don Cherry said his departure from Hockey Night in Canada in 2019 was not an orchestrated 'exit strategy' related to health concerns, as was recently suggested by Ron MacLean, his ex-longtime on-air partner. The former co-host of Coach's Corner isn't ready to call MacLean's candid comments to the Kingston Whig Standard a 'betrayal,' but admitted to feeling aggrieved by the narrative created after so many years have passed. 'I'm very disappointed in Ron that he would bring this up,' Cherry, 91, told the Toronto Sun's Joe Warmington in a conversation about MacLean's assertions. 'I'm very disappointed that he would reach back five years and do this. 'He should let it go,' he added. Cherry said he was 'really surprised' when his wife Luba showed him the story, noting to Warmington that as far as she is concerned, MacLean is not welcome at their home or to contact them. Luba told the writer she would speak with her husband's former peer directly. Broached with the subject of Cherry and his son Tim possibly ending their podcast Grapevine by Whig Standard sports writer Gare Joyce recently, MacLean was reminded of Cherry's departure from HNIC and tied it to the pneumonia he was suffering from at the end of a long Stanley Cup Final between the St. Louis Blues and Boston Bruins that June. MacLean alleged that Cherry was struggling to breathe on their flight to Boston for a decisive Game 7, and he was taken to a sauna upon landing in an attempt to 'clear out his lungs.' A then 85-year-old Cherry would go on air that night, but his account of what occurred after the game differs from MacLean's. 'Don and I didn't have our post-show ritual beers (because) he was so sick,' MacLean told the Whig Standard. 'I just had a couple of beers by myself and then I got a call from (National Hockey League Commissioner) Gary Bettman — you know, he and I are like, well, pick your poison — and he asks, 'How's Don?' I tell him, 'He's good. Why do you ask?' (Bettman) says, 'Well, he's in hospital.' That was a shocker.' For his part, Cherry insisted to Warmington that while he was 'pretty tired,' there was no hospital visit in Boston. 'I went to my room,' he said, admitting he later visited a hospital upon returning to Canada, where he spent one night being assessed and treated for pneumonia. Regardless, MacLean went on to suggest the 'pneumonia scare' led Cherry to begin 'plotting a way out' that ultimately arrived on a November broadcast ahead of Remembrance Day when he spoke about immigrants to Canada not wearing poppies to honour Canada's fallen soldiers. 'You people come here, whatever it is, you love our way of life, you love our milk and honey. At least you could pay a couple of bucks for a poppy,' Cherry said at the time. Rogers Sportsnet released him two days later following public backlash, which MacLean said 'was the right outcome.' 'Don needed out, and the time was right. (Remembrance Day) was his last swing, taking a stance that's unpopular, but that feels good in his world. For Don, it's all a fight. It's all a battle. So he was happy and I'm happy for him.' Cherry also flatly rejected that assertion, saying 'he wasn't looking for a way out.' 'He can say what he wants, but it never happened.' Cherry said he's not been in contact with MacLean about the statements, nor does he plan to reach out. As for the future of the Grapevine podcast, Cherry and his son told Warmington that the show will continue. Rex Murphy: Don Cherry's cruel exclusion from the Order of Canada 'I've been through some ordeals': Ron MacLean is the last Canadian icon Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our newsletters here.
