What to know
- Don Cherry was appointed to the Order of Ontario last month.
- Premier Doug Ford visited the former broadcaster to congratulate him in-person.
- 2025’s appointees will be honoured in a ceremony in Toronto later this year.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford personally visited Don Cherry to congratulate him on his appointment to the Order of Ontario.
I was thrilled to stop by and congratulate Don Cherry in person on his appointment to the Order of Ontario.
— Doug Ford (@fordnation) March 5, 2026
Don is a great Canadian patriot and a champion for our country, our province and the game of hockey. Congratulations! pic.twitter.com/wuXvPvVBE8
Don Cherry was announced as one of 30 recipients, along with other industry leaders like Tracy Moore, Cameron Bailey, and Edward Rogers.
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Cherry was fired by Sportsnet in 2019 after making a controversial comment about immigrants. At the time, referring to those not wearing poppies in November, Cherry said, “You people. You love our way of life, you love our milk and honey – at least you can pay a couple bucks for a poppy … These guys paid for your way of life.”
He was fired two days later.
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Canadians react to Cherry’s Order of Canada appointment
Despite Cherry’s controversial exit, there are many who say his appointment is well-deserved.
“About damn time they recognized a true original,” an X (formerly Twitter) user wrote.
“Cherry was honest about his views and he was indeed a champion for the ordinary, typical, Canadian perspective,” another wrote.
Cherry, now 92-year-old, began his sports career on the ice with Windsor’s Major Junior Hockey Team in 1951. Over the following two decades, he starred across several different leagues – the former Eastern Professional Hockey League (EPHL), the American Hockey League (AHL) and the Western Hockey League (WHL) – even joining the Boston Bruins in the National Hockey League (NHL) for a league.
He then went on to coach for the Rochester Americans, Boston Bruins, Colorado Rockies and Mississauga IceDogs. During his time with the Bruins, he was awarded the Jack Adams – given to a coach who contributed the most to his team’s success.
In announcing the appointees of 2025, the province pointed to Cherry’s “influential coaching career, bold broadcasting style and decades of dedication to the sport.” It also recognized his “extensive philanthropy, supporting the military and police, youth sports and animal welfare through Don Cherry’s Pet Rescue Foundation and Rose Cherry’s Home for Kids.
2025 Order of Ontario recipients will be honoured in Toronto this year
The recipients will be inducted by the lieutenant governor of Ontario at a ceremony in the city later this year.
Appointments to the Order are made on the recommendation of an independent advisory council “based on the merit of accomplishments of nominees”. Nominations for the 2026 Order are currently open. Information on how to do that is available on the province’s website.
