NHL legend Bobby Orr has jumped to the defense of his longtime friend and former coach Don Cherry. Orr appeared on a radio program in Boston Thursday and didn't hold back when asked about Cherry's dismissal from Sportsnet and Hockey Night in Canada.
"What they've done to him up there is disgraceful. It really is," Orr said.
He went on to describe Cherry as a "generous" and "caring" person.
"I know Grapes better than anyone. He's not a bigot and he's not a racist," Orr added.
Cherry was the coach of the Boston Bruins while Orr was playing for the team in 1974-75 and 1975-76
Cherry was let go from Hockey Night in Canada on Remembrance Day after making a statement on people not wearing poppies. His specific words, which seemed to target immigrants, were not taken well by some.
"You people, you come here-or whatever-you love our way of life, you love our milk and honey, at least you can pay a couple bucks for a poppy or something like that," Cherry said Saturday night.
Cherry himself admitted it was a poor choice of words, but he did issue a statement on his official Twitter account Thursday night thanking people for their support.
"Just want to thank everybody for all the support and kind words. You'll be hearing from me soon. Thumbs up!," Cherry tweeted.
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