Don Cherry

Don Cherry: biography

He has got a bright career in several fields. Thanks to his unique manner, he earned much credit among the people and became a rather influential figure in Canadian culture.

Childhood and youth

He was born into a decent family. His grandfathers provided public benefit and security serving in Canadian forces. His father worked as an ecelectirican and was an amateur athlete. The boy and his younger brother followed their father's steps, and both succeeded in the sports industry. His brother, named Dick, professionally played hockey.

At the age of four, the boy realized that he wanted to become a professional hockey player. He trained a lot and displayed impressive skills. His mother was so outraged that she bought him expensive gloves as a gift. From 1951 to 1954, he played in the junior hockey league.

Playing career

He had a long career and the number of accolades. He won the champion's title in 1953 and became the owner of the Calder Cup four times. His path to success in professional hockey began in 1954 when the athlete played for the minor league in the position of defenseman. Mainly his career was thriving. In 1960, 1965-66 and 1968, his team achieved the champion's title. In 1969 the athlete retired.

Coaching career

For his productive work, he was named a coach of the year. His career as a coach might be even more successful than as a player. As a Bruins coach, he led the team to a final of Stanley Cup Finals twice. He won the prestigious award as a couch in 1976. In 1980 he retired after being fired from the Colorado Rookies.

Broadcasting

He also had a long career on TV. For 39 years, Don worked on his program named "Coach's Corner." For that time, he established himself as both a significant and controversial figure. For some people, he became an icon. The fact that Don took the 7th place of the list "Greatest Canadian" tells for itself.

His segment sometimes drew more attention than games. The commentator had a memorable dress – he wore a loud tartan blazer, tie, and tall-collared dress shirt. His manner had always been outspoken, but only in 2019, the commentator crossed the line in his racial and political statements. As a result, he was fired. Nevertheless, the same year he received his star on the Hall of Fame for Canadian hockey players.

He came in history as a patriot who vividly supported police service and military force of his country. Frequently the commentator used his program to pay tribute for those who lost their lives in the line of duty.

However, the commentator often found himself in the center of discussions and criticism. He preferred to talk colloquially, sometimes fragmented Cherry Spoke. His racist statements concerned foreign-born athletes and immigrants, especially Finns, Russians, and Swedes.

On the 9th of November, in 2019, the commentator was deeply disappointed that many people didn't wear poppies on Remembrance Day. His expressions were insulting to many people. He said,

"You people… you love our way of life. You love our milk and honey, at least you can pay a couple of bucks for a poppy or something like that. These guys (Canadian military) paid for your way of life that you enjoy in Canada, these guys paid the biggest price."

The phrase "You people" insulted minorities. Two days later, it was announced that the commentator immediately stepped down. Various TV personalities decided to support Don and denied believing that he was racist among them, Ron MacLean and Bobby Orr.

Many vivid video compilations are telling the best moments of his show.

Besides his TV career, Don co-hosted a program on the radio. He also often worked with brands and organizations and appeared on the number of commercials. Sometimes Don appeared on TV series, as in "Power Play" and voiced characters for animated movies, "The Great Polar Adventure" among them.

He co-owned the junior hockey team and even coached it for some period. The athlete proved to be a skilled businessman. He owns a franchise of restaurants. Such a wide field of professional activity allowed Don to earn an impressive fortune. His net worth is estimated at $11 million.

Personal life

When he played in the USA, he met his wife, Rosemarie. The couple lived happily, but life brought various challenges for them. Due to Don's sports career, the twosome had to move 53 times. They often had to live far from decent houses. Don spent much time playing hickey and left his family events.

The couple had a daughter, Cindy, and a son, Tim. When their son, Tim, was 13, he needed a kidney transplant. Cindy became a donor.

In 1997 Don lost his first wife, who died from liver cancer. To honor her, the athlete decided always to wear a rose on his lapel. He also contributed to developing a home for kids and named it on her honor. Two years later, he married again. Besides, the commentator established a foundation providing animal rescue.

He remains active on social networks, especially on Twitter, where he published the following statement: "Hockey Icon Don Cherry, continues with his "tell it like it is" attitude on hockey and more!"