TORONTO – Hockey broadcaster Don Cherry says he will spend this Saturday night having “a couple beers” while watching hockey after being fired as host of "Coach's Corner".
The 85-year-old was removed from Sportsnet Monday following a rant on Saturday's Hockey Night in Canada in which he implied that immigrants in Toronto are not paying their respects to Canadian veterans by wearing poppies.
The remarks, which are the latest in a decades-long string of controversial comments from the popular commentator, were widely criticized. Sportsnet confirmed on Monday that Cherry would no longer be on the air.
"Saturday night will be different. Saturday night will be tough. But there is no sense in whining about it," Cherry said in an interview with Newstalk 1010.
"I'll be sitting, having a couple of beers, watching and wondering who's going to be on at the end of the first period."
"Somebody asked if I'm going to be replaced and I said 'I'll never be replaced.'"
"It should be interesting to see what's on. There should be a big audience."
"I'm unemployed now, after 38 years. It’s kind of strange, to be unemployed halfway through the season – and of all days, Remembrance Day. It's sad."
More: Don Cherry speaks out on his firing and Ron MacLean
Cherry has refused to apologize for the controversial comments, referring to them as "one little slip."
"What I meant was everybody, everybody and I mean everybody should be wearing a poppy to honour our fallen soldiers who gave their lives for our way of life," he said.
"Naturally, the guys that are for me and the women that are for me, they say ‘Way to go Don,’ and the people that are against me, they took it the way they wanted to take it."
