Hockey broadcasting legend Don Cherry blasted the firing of Canucks national anthem singer Mark Donnelly for his attendance at an anti-lockdown protest.
"When you give your opinion, you better be prepared to pay the price," the former hockey player and coach told the Sun's Joe Warmington. "Going to a 'no-mask rally' was not the politically correct thing to do. You have to do what the left media want now. I should know."
Cherry was fired from his position co-hosting the Coach's Corner segment of Hockey Night in Canada, a job he held for 33 years, after he suggested that many Canadians did not wear poppies enough in honour of Canadian veterans. "You people that come here," Cherry said, "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."
The left-wing media widely decried Cherry's comments as racist.
Donnelly too has been a familiar face to hockey fans, especially in Vancouver. Donnelly has sung the national anthem for the Vancouver Canucks since 2001, and grew to become beloved by fans over his 19-year career.
Referring to Donnelly, Cherry said "I like the guy. He puts on a pretty good show. He has that theatrical magic behind him. People love him out there."
"Would Mark Donnelly be in trouble expressing his opinion had it been in favour of masks and lockdowns?" he asked.
"He may even become more popular now," Cherry said optimistically. He referenced his own podcast which he launched since his firing from Coach's Corner, Grapevine, which he claims has over 2.5 million listeners. The podcast's name references the endearing nickname "Grapes" which Cherry has commonly been referred to as over the years.
Ultimately, Cherry said, Donnelly's firing happened as a result of him breaking two rules. He "can’t go against left-wing media’s rules," Cherry insisted, or "be more popular than the owner."
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