Don Cherry doesn't mince words about Ron MacLean's latest claim about 2019 'Poppygate' controversy

NHL legend Don Cherry set the record straight regarding a publication addressing his 2019 exit from Hockey Night in Canada.

In an interview with the Kingston Whig Standard published on July 11, Ron MacLean, Cherry’s longtime co-host on the popular show Coach’s Corner, aired during Hockey Night in Canada, referred to the 2019 incident that led to Don Cherry’s ousting from the show.

Sportsnet, owners of Hockey Night in Canada, asked Cherry to bow out following racially charged comments stemming from Cherry’s perceived lack of willingness on the Canadian’s part to wear poppies during the Remembrance Day commemoration.

The comments drew public outrage, leading to Cherry’s dismissal. Co-host Ron MacLean took to the airwaves the following weekend to apologize and acknowledge his role in the incident. The incident would go on to be referred to colloquially as “poppygate.”

Five years later, MacLean’s interview in the Whig Standard suggests that Cherry had purposely gone off the rails during his racially charged rant as an exit strategy amid health concerns. MacLean stated that Don Cherry had checked into a Boston-area hospital before Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final amid complications from a pneumonia.

Now, Don Cherry has fired back. In a feature in the Toronto Sun by Joe Warmington, Cherry set the record straight, denying MacLean’s allegations that he, Cherry, planned his exit strategy amid health concerns.

Cherry denied that he had ever been to a Boston-area hospital or that he was looking for an excuse to leave Hockey Night in Canada. He said, per Warmington:

“I am disappointed in Ron that he wouldn’t let it go. He should let it go. I didn’t go to the hospital in Boston. I went to my room. I was pretty tired. I just didn’t go to the hospital.”

Tim Cherry, Don’s son, added:

“I can’t believe someone’s health was in a story. It’s really nobody’s business.”

Here’s a look at Cherry’s comments in his own words:

The former Boston Bruins coach added he has no ill feelings toward Ron MacLean, but MacLean isn't welcome in his home.

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Don Cherry to continue producing popular podcast

Cherry stars in a popular podcast The Grapevine, with son Tim - Source: Imagn

One of the topics that emerged from Don Cherry’s conversation with Joe Warmington was his popular podcast The Grapevine.

Warmington asked Cherry about the show’s continuation, as Cherry and son Tim hinted that their last episode marked the show’s end.

However, Cherry made it clear that the show will continue. Their latest episode was the last one of the season. But the show will be back for one more season.

Cherry is now in his 90s and still going strong. He hasn’t hinted at retiring from covering the NHL. The Grapevine podcast was Cherry’s way of continuing on the airwaves following his unceremonious dismissal in 2019.

So, fans can expect to see and hear more from Don Cherry in the not-too-distant future.