Took a little back and forth, and credit the CP editors for their patience, but I was able to break this news about Don Cherry off Monday’s Rogers Media upfront in Toronto: he’ll be back next season, at least, on Hockey Night in Canada.
Cherry, 82, who signed a two-year contract when Rogers made their $5.2B NHL deal in 2014, re-upped with another multi-year deal. Rogers president of hockey and Sportsnet Scott Moore said he was delighted to have Grapes locked up “for at least a year.”
Moore said he tried to sign Cherry to a lifetime deal back when the Rogers’ executive was running CBC Sports. Cherry declined, preferring up until the 2014 takeover to commit year-by-year.
Given the ratings hit Rogers has taken these Stanley Cup playoffs–the first in 46 years where no Canadian teams were involved–there’s been some speculation that changes will be made to the deep Hockey Night in Canada TV bench in the off season. Host George Stroumboulopoulos is in the second year of a five year deal; Sunday Hometown Hockey anchor Ron MacLean is halfway through a four year contract.
Moore says “tweaks will be made” after the playoffs but cautioned he said that last June, too. Read the full story here ast this article I wrote for The Canadian Press.
