don cherry ron maclean

Don Cherry and Ron MacLean seen together for first time in years

Ron and Don are together again. Longtime co-stars of Coach's Corner on Hockey Night in Canada, Ron MacLean and Don Cherry hadn't been seen together publicly since Cherry was fired in 2019.

Cherry was fired on November 11, 2019, after refusing to apologize for disparaging comments about immigrants two days earlier on Coach's Corner. Conversely, MacLean apologized for allowing the "hurtful" and "discriminatory" remarks to go unchecked.

The firing caused a rift in their longtime friendship. The two broadcasters had been an inseparable odd couple since MacLean first joined Cherry on Coach's Corner back in 1987.

Cherry said later that he was "disappointed" in MacLean. "I don't think we'll ever be friends again," Cherry said nearly two years ago.

It does appear that Ron and Don are making amends, however.

Last September, MacLean revealed that he and Cherry still keep in touch. But they hadn't been seen together publicly since Cherry was fired.

Until Sunday.

MacLean posted a photo to social media featuring him and Cherry each giving a thumbs up. Posing with a birthday cake, it appeared they were celebrating Cherry's birthday. He turned 90 years old last month.

"Us, when Grapes hit a milestone and I was chasing one," said MacLean.

MacLean, 63, still hosts Hockey Night in Canada every Saturday night. Cherry, even at his age, is still in media too. He hosts Don Cherry's Grapevine Podcast with his son Tim.

Lead photo by

@ron_maclean/X


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