Don Cherry makes a very sad announcement.

Some very sad news for longtime hockey fans has now been officially confirmed.

Earlier this year many assumed that we had heard the last from Cherry as far as his regular hockey opinions were concerned when Cherry and his son, Tim, announced their "final" episode of the Don Cherry's Grapevine podcast. That announcement was quickly corrected however to note that it was the final podcast of the season, rather than the final podcast of Cherry's illustrious career as a hockey broadcaster.

Unfortunately for fans who were excited to learn that Cherry would be back for another season, it now appears as though that won't be the case. In a recent interview with long time friend Joe Warmington of the Toronto Sun, Cherry admitted that the podcast had indeed aired its final episode.

"I just decided it was time to pack it in," admitted Cherry as per Warmington. "It was fun, but everything has it’s time."

This means that Cherry will officially be stepping out of public life for the very first time in my lifetime, something that will come as a big culture shock to many Canadians who have been following the colorful commentator for decades and decades at this point.

Over his career Cherry became arguably the most widely recognized voice in the sport of hockey, attracting tons of fans and attention not only because of his incredibly colorful suits but also thanks to the very colorful opinions that came with them. Cherry is currently 91 and will be turning 92 at the end of February and you can certainly understand why he has come to this decision after such an extensive and successful career in the sport of hockey.

While this is extremely sad news, I wish Cherry all the best in his retirement. This is a break that he has certainly earned after his many years behind the bench, in front of the camera, and on the microphone.