Don Cherry posted what appeared to be a farewell message to broadcasting at the age of 91 this week. But according to the legendary hockey figure himself, he isn’t quite ready to say goodbye.
Cherry sounded like he was ready to hang up the microphone in the latest episode of the Grapevine podcast that he hosts with his son. The episode is titled “Stanley Cup Final thoughts and our Final Podcast.”
At the end of the episode, the Cherrys go over the podcast statistics that includes over 300 episodes and 6.5 million downloads. The podcast began following his controversial exit from Rogers SportsNet. In November 2019, Cherry was unceremoniously removed from the air after years as the face of hockey in Canada thanks to his Coach’s Corner segments complaining about Canadian immigrants not wearing poppies for Remembrance Day.
“Thanks everybody for listening and toodleoo,” Cherry said.
Cherry’s post on X with the farewell message drew scores of tributes as most assumed it meant the end of his broadcast career. But in spite of how it was presented and interpreted, Don Cherry says he is just merely enjoying the offseason and plans to be back for the 2025-2026 season.
The former NHL player, coach, and television star told Joe Warmington of the Toronto Sun that he is coming back for next season to continue his broadcasting career that has now spanned several decades.
“I’m coming back next season,” the legendary broadcaster told me late Monday. “I can’t wait.”
Well, it’s a good thing I checked in with Grapes. It certainly did say “Don Cherry says goodbye in final podcast” in his X post Monday afternoon.
“We just meant to say goodbye for this year,” said the iconic star of almost four decades of Coach’s Corner on Hockey Night In Canada. “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.”
Earlier this year, ESPN’s John Buccigross stumped for Don Cherry and Barry Melrose to be honored by the Hockey Hall of Fame for their contributions to the sport.
Cherry was known for his colorful outfits and outspoken opinions as the star studio analyst for Hockey Night in Canada. He also had more than his fair share of controversies, whether it be his takes on hockey, politics, or anything in between. But there’s no doubting that he had a one-of-a-kind career as the face of Canada’s national sport. And it looks like that career is going to continue for at least one more year.