Black former NHL star calls alleged hockey racist ‘one of the best Canadians ever’

For close to 40 years, Don Cherry was a staple of “Hockey Night in Canada” broadcasts, his wild outfits accentuating his often crazy and controversial comments during the intermission of games.

While entertaining, Cherry often caught heat for his deranged takes, his racist remarks that accused Canadian immigrants of not respecting Canada’s poppy-wearing tradition of honoring the military the final straw that caused his firing in 2019.

Despite this, former NHL star P.K. Subban, a rare Black athlete in the sport, took to X to wish Cherry a happy 90th birthday and praise him for his mark on their culture.

“I’m a little late… but going coast to coast to wish the biggest Happy Bday to one of the best Canadians ever! Cheers grapes!” Subban wrote Tuesday.

During a Sportsnet broadcast in 2019, Cherry sat alongside Ron MacLean and went unhinged.

“You people … love our way of life, love our milk and honey,” Cherry said, per USA TODAY. “At least you could pay a couple of bucks for poppies or something like that. These guys paid for your way of life that you enjoy in Canada.”

Cherry said he had no regrets about his comments, telling the Toronto Sun, “I speak the truth and I walk the walk.”

At the time of the firing, Sportsnet president Bart Yabsley said that the “divisive remarks … do not represent our values or what we stand for.”

Subban played 13 years in the NHL, ending his career with the New Jersey Devils after the 2021-22 season. Today, the three-time All-Star is one of the faces of ESPN’s NHL coverage.

Subban’s parents immigrated from the Caribbean in 1970, his father from Jamaica and his mother from Montserrat.