Sportsnet reportedly makes a decision on Ron MacLean for the 2026-27 NHL season

Ron MacLean will return to Sportsnet for the 2026-27 NHL season, extending one of the longest and most recognizable broadcasting careers in Canadian hockey history.

Jonah Siegel of the Toronto Star reports today that while Rogers Sportsnet has yet to negotiate contracts for the likes of Elliotte Friedman and Kevin Bieksa, that MacLean will indeed be back on the Sportsnet hockey panel.

It is a remarkable continuation for a man who has been synonymous with Saturday night hockey for decades, even if the reaction to his continued presence behind the desk is considerably different from what it once was. MacLean remains one of the most accomplished broadcasters Canada has ever produced, but there is little question that his popularity has waned in recent years, particularly since the messy and highly publicized end of his partnership with Don Cherry.

MacLean's rise to the top of Canadian sports broadcasting was built on an unusual combination of intelligence, warmth and an almost unmatched ability to turn a simple hockey conversation into a sprawling story about history, literature, small-town Canada or some obscure moment from the game's past. He became a fixture on Hockey Night in Canada during the 1980s and eventually became the program's central host, a position that made him one of the most familiar faces in the country. His broadcasting résumé also extends well beyond the NHL, including major work on Olympic coverage, but hockey has always been the foundation of his public identity.

For much of his career, though, Ron MacLean and Don Cherry were inseparable in the eyes of hockey fans. Coach's Corner was one of the most famous and influential segments in Canadian sports television, with Cherry playing the loud, opinionated and unpredictable star while MacLean served as the perfect straight man. Their chemistry was built over decades, and the segment became such a major part of the hockey landscape that it was eventually recognized on Canada's Walk of Fame.

Everything changed in November 2019. Cherry made controversial on-air remarks about immigrants and Remembrance Day poppies, prompting widespread backlash and ultimately his dismissal by Sportsnet. MacLean, who had initially remained silent during the segment, apologized afterward and later announced that Coach's Corner was over.

That was the moment when MacLean's relationship with a significant portion of the hockey audience began to change. To some viewers, he did the responsible thing by acknowledging that he should have challenged Cherry's comments. To others, particularly longtime Cherry supporters, MacLean became the villain of the story. The perception that he had abandoned his friend and broadcasting partner followed him for years, and later disagreements over the circumstances surrounding Cherry's departure only helped reopen old wounds.

That lingering resentment is impossible to ignore when discussing MacLean's more recent popularity. Social media criticism has become a regular part of his public reception, with some fans arguing that his long-winded stories, eccentric tangents and increasingly sentimental style have grown tiresome without Cherry beside him to provide contrast. Whether that criticism is fair is another matter entirely. MacLean was never simply a conventional studio host, and his unusual storytelling style is arguably one of the reasons he became such an institution in the first place.

Now, as Sportsnet moves into the 2026-27 season and Canadian NHL broadcasting enters a new era without Saturday night games returning to CBC, MacLean remains one of the last living links to the classic Hockey Night in Canada tradition. The show itself will continue on Sportsnet as the CBC partnership ends after 12 years, making the upcoming season another significant turning point for hockey broadcasting in Canada.

Ron MacLean may no longer command the nearly universal affection he enjoyed at the height of his partnership with Cherry, but longevity alone does not explain why he is still here. Few broadcasters have been more deeply woven into the fabric of Canadian hockey. His return to Sportsnet will undoubtedly frustrate some critics, delight longtime supporters and probably inspire plenty of debate along the way, but after nearly four decades around the NHL, it is difficult to imagine Saturday night hockey without MacLean somewhere in the conversation.