Journalist rips into Hockey Night in Canada host's character

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Daniel Lucente
September 23, 2024 (3:20 PM)

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A Toronto Sun Journalist is ripping into the character of Hockey Night in Canada host Ron MacLean following a series of events that occurred.

For years and years, Ron MacLean has been the host of Hockey Night in Canada. The fans of the NHL have begun pointing their fingers at him more and more. MacLean was once an admired figure in broadcasting; over time, he has been scrutinized. Over the years, many fans have grown to despise him.

His longest-running partner, Don Cherry, had paired with him as part of the extremely iconic segment entitled Coach's Corner. Since his very controversial departure, though, the popularity of MacLean has grown cold. This led to a split among some viewers, who were upset that he did not come out in public support for Cherry at the time of his firing. More recently, it's MacLean's involvement in a number of segments that have drawn further disapproval, including participating in a segment with the Rogers executives discussing the company's buyout of Bell Media's stake in the Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment.

An article by Steve Simmons of the Toronto Sun had MacLean taking even more heat. Simmons came down on MacLean's role in the Rogers segment and further explained how out of touch MacLean has become from a growing portion of the fan base, if trivial to some, adding to the mounting criticism he's been facing for years.

Ron MacLean should have said no. But clearly, his own self-respect has disappeared over time. He didn't have to participate in that dog-and-pony show interview with Ed Rogers and Tony Staffieri after the huge sale at MLSE.
MacLean has been around long enough to have walked away from that embarrassing infomercial.

- Steve Simmons

That has newly cropped up again with Cherry's son publicly calling him a liar after MacLean celebrated his birthday. It continued to drive a wedge between fans that were either #TeamCherry or #TeamMacLean.

While Ron MacLean continues to catch it from all sides, only time will tell if he returns to his old standing or whether the backlash cuts through all ties, tainting forever a legacy in hockey broadcasting.