The CBC's Don Cherry during "HNIC" Saturday "offered an apology to former NHL players Stu Grimson, Chris Nilan and Jim Thomson after calling them 'turncoats' and 'hypocrites' and 'pukes' for what he alleged was their anti-fighting stance," according to Greg Wyshynski of YAHOO SPORTS. Cherry said, "I gotta admit, I was wrong on a bunch of things. I took three enforcers, three tough guys -- my kind of guys -- and I threw them under the bus, and I'm sorry for it. I really am." Grimson, Nilan and Thomas in a statement had called Cherry's initial comments earlier this month "baseless and slanderous," leading to "speculation about litigation." But the three former NHLers Sunday released a joint statement saying they have accepted Cherry's apology and they "wish to state that they do not intend to pursue such recourse, as a group." Grimson, however, released his own statement -- one that "continues to express frustration" with the CBC, Cherry and "HNIC" host Ron MacLean. The statement read in part, "You cannot stand on the highest mountaintop in the country -- Hockey Night in Canada -- and point your finger at these men and shout down to the Nation that you believe they're 'pukes, turncoats and hypocrites' simply because they have a different point of view than you" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 10/16). Nilan on Twitter said that he appreciated Cherry's apology. Nilan: "I want to thank Don Cherry for standing up and making a public apology to the 3 of us. Means a lot. We are friends once again" (POSTMEDIA NEWS, 10/16).
TOO LATE TO APOLOGIZE? The GLOBE & MAIL's Bruce Dowbiggin writes under the header, "Don Cherry's Grovelling Fails To Erase Errors." Dowbiggin: "Can't someone at CBC even run a proper apology? Nine days (and one show) after letting his mouth run several lengths ahead of his brain, Don Cherry finally got around to issuing a full apology." But Cherry was "simply the leading man for bureaucratic ineptitude at 'HNIC' and CBC." His original segment "had been vetted by 'HNIC' producers, who approved the video he was preparing and knew the general direction he was going." The CBC "failed the basic test of journalistic balance by not letting the affected ex-players defend themselves within the 'HNIC' broadcast." Had the CBC and "HNIC" done that on the first Saturday, they "might not have been getting legal threats and mounting public apologies" (GLOBE & MAIL, 10/17). The NATIONAL POST's Bruce Arthur writes, "Don Cherry won't be on television forever. ... And no matter how you feel about him, he will be missed. Nobody in this country can stop traffic like Cherry." There is "nobody who can replace his capacity for forging a connection to his audience, and provoking reactions like this one." He is "must-watch TV, as far as hockey goes" (NATIONAL POST, 10/17).
