Report: Don Cherry intentionally mispronounces players’ names live on air

Love him or hate him, there’s no denying Don Cherry’s impact on the sport of hockey. The legendary broadcaster and host of CBC’s Coach’s Corner segment has left an indelible mark on the game over the course of his decades long career and, no doubt, has established himself as one of the true icons of hockey, especially in his native Canada.

Throughout the course of his career Cherry has established many “Grapes-isms” that truly define him. His flashy style and over-the-top suits are obviously what first come to mind in describing Cherry, but his penchant for mispronouncing names is another trope that has followed him around for years. Cherry has fumbled his way through countless names over the years, mostly European or Russian names, but some Canadians like Roberto Luongo (Lulongo) have also felt the wrath of Grapes.

Some personal faves over the years:

David Bakos
Nathan Borlow
Matt Belinski
Robert Bortaza
Cal Buttercup
Leon Dresskull
David Pasteront
Ryan Nugent-Tompkins

Here’s the thing though… it’s all a masterful troll job by Grapes himself. Check out these quotes from former NHL goaltender Sean Burke, from his latest interview on the Spittin’ Chiclets podcast:

“I got to work with Don Cherry in my first year of retirement, I did Hockey Night in Canada with Ron MacLean and Don Cherry. And the funniest thing I found with Don Cherry is that he would actually write down the names wrong, so that when he said them he’d pronounce say the names wrong.” 

“I actually stole that sheet one day and put it in my pocket of some of the names he had written down purposely with the wrong pronunciation… just to stir the pot. And what a genius really when you think about it. He’s got all those little things he does that have become his trademark, but he is a very sharp guy and he works extremely hard at his job.” 

So… he’s been trolling us the entire time!?!