Veteran hockey broadcaster Don Cherry is facing backlash after appearing to deny the existence of climate change and calling people who believe in the widely accepted phenomenon “cuckaloos.”
Cherry, 83, made the remarks to co-commentator Ron MacLean on Saturday night during the first intermission of the game between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Boston Bruins, a day after Ontario’s newest forecasting groundhog Wiarton Willie signalled six more weeks of winter.
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During his “Coach’s Corner” segment, Cherry, seated behind a plush groundhog toy, asked MacLean if he and his “left-wing pinko friends” could explain their fears over rising temperatures in light of the prevailing cold weather.
MacLean tried to deflect the question, but Cherry insisted, “I’m just asking you, the cuckaloos are always saying there are warming trends — we’re freezing to death.”
Unsurprisingly, Cherry’s views were quickly picked up by Canadians, with many taking to social media to express their disapproval.
It’s not the first time that Cherry has suggested that cold weather disproves the existence of climate change, however.
During one “Hockey Night in Canada” broadcast back in 2008, Cherry reacted to a video of environmental activist David Suzuki promoting Earth Hour by calling him a “left-wing kook.”
“We’re all dying of cold and he’s talking warming trends,” Cherry said on that occasion.
