A man who makes a living impersonating Don Cherry is defending the longtime hockey broadcaster whoâs out of a job after a rant that was widely criticized for scolding immigrants who donât wear poppies.
In an interview with CTV Calgary, ââ Clark Robertson said the former âHockey Night in Canadaâ co-host âcould have said it betterâ and âis never going to win awards for grammar.â
âHeâs not a wordsmith,â said Robertson. âDeep down -- even on surface I donât think he is (a racist). He just words things wrong. Heâs a blue-collar Joe, working dude who would swing a hammer if he wasnât doing what heâs doing. He says what a lot of people think but heâs the only one whoâs got the balls to say it half the time.â
The 85-year-old Cherry was fired Monday, nearly four decades after he began working for âHockey Night in Canada,â as part of the fallout from Saturday nightâs broadcast. During his âCoachâs Cornerâ segment, Cherry claimed that immigrants do not wear poppies or support veterans.
"You people ⌠that come here, whatever it is, you love our way of life, you love our milk and honey, at least you can pay a couple bucks for a poppy or something like that," he said. "These guys paid for your way of life that you enjoy in Canada, these guys paid the biggest price."
Robertson echoed Cherryâs statements to CTV on Monday, saying âpeople need to assimilate and become one.â
âIf youâre going to be in our country, no matter who you are -- âthose peopleâ -- any person,â he said. âCome join us, enjoy our beautiful country, our natural resources and letâs be one.â
Though Cherryâs comments were widely criticized online, there was also a strong contingent of supporters calling for his rehiring, and others suggesting a boycott of Rogers Media, which owns âHockey Night in Canadaâ broadcaster Sportsnet. That support is why Robertson feels there will still be a market for his impersonations.
âAs long as Iâm alive on this Earth, people are going to know who Don Cherry is,â he said. âSome are going to hate him, some are going to love him. The ones that love him are still going to hire me to come and do a show.â
If he receives some backlash as a Cherry impersonator now, itâs nothing new, said Robertson.
âBefore this, people would come up to me in the streets and tell me blatantly âI hate you, I hate everything about you, I hate your suits.â I donât think it will be any different,â he said.
Robertson believes Cherry has been wrongfully reprimanded for his comments. If Robertson had it his way, Cherry would be named to the Order of Canada for his work in sports and charity. âHeâs a great Canadian,â said Robertson. âHe really is.â