One of the most colorful characters in hockey isn’t putting down the mic just yet.
Don Cherry, best known for his 33-year stint as a broadcaster on “Hockey Night in Canada” before a controversial departure, stirred up some confusion when he signed off on the 313th episode of “The Don Cherry’s Grapevine Podcast.”
“Well, Tim, this is our last show,” the 91-year-old said at the end of the episode. “Thanks everyone for listening. Toodle-oo!”
While it sounded like the end of his four-plus decade run as a prominent voice in Canada’s game, Cherry quickly corrected the record.
“I’m coming back next season,” he told the Toronto Sun. “We just meant to say goodbye for this year. We always do that at the end the season. There’s no more hockey this year, so there’s no podcast for the summer. I guess we should have said for the season.”
The former defenseman and coach launched the podcast with his son, Tim, six years ago, when Cherry was dismissed from Sportsnet, after the Kingston, Ontario, native made a controversial comment about Canadian immigrants.
“We’ve been listened to all around the world, it’s just amazing how many different countries people download and listen to it,” Tim, who is also a scout in the Ontario Hockey League, said on the season finale episode. “We’ve had 6.5 million downloads, which is pretty good.”
Cherry, nicknamed “Grapes,” has been involved in just about every aspect of the hockey world.
He enjoyed a 14-year career in the AHL in the 1950s and 60s, and played in one glorious NHL game with the Bruins in 1955.
He then went on to coach five seasons with Boston from 1974-79, leading the team to two Stanley Cup Final appearances, and spent 1979-80 as the bench boss of the Colorado Rockies, now the Devils.
Then came his broadcasting career, which began with him as a studio analyst for CBC in 1980 and continued for the next three decades.
Cherry became famous for his brash, colorful personality, which was on full display whenever he appeared on the air – during the broadcast of a game, on his half-hour interview show “Don Cherry’s Grapevine” or anywhere else.
