The CBC gave Hockey Night in Canada host Ron MacLean the security of a seven-year contract, but his Coach's Corner partner, Don Cherry, didn't fare nearly as well.
Cherry revealed yesterday that he's working on a deal that goes week to week. He says the network can fire him at any time without a settlement.
"It amused me that he got a seven-year contract," Cherry said of MacLean. "Because mine is seven minutes [the approximate length of Coach's Corner]."
Cherry's contract, negotiated in 2006, is for two years. But he says it can be cancelled immediately, without severance, if the CBC feels he has made an inappropriate comment on air.
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"To tell you the truth, that's the way I wanted it," he said. "I had been on shaky ground a year or two earlier. I just thought, if they don't want me, I don't want them. And I don't expect to get paid if I'm not there."
Cherry is the most popular personality on Hockey Night, but he has also been a lightning rod for controversy. He was almost fired in 2004 after saying most NHL visor wearers were French Canadians and Europeans. He turned out to be correct, but his remarks were interpreted as pejorative.
Scott Moore, who took over as the head of CBC Sports in March, would not comment on Cherry's deal.
"He has a contract that runs through this year," Moore said. "And we've talked about what he wants to do going forward."
Despite the short leash, Cherry says he likes the contract, which pays him about $500,000 year, putting him on the edge.
"It's sort of exciting in a way," he said. "In my own funny way of thinking, I like it that way. If I go, I go. See you later. It's been a good ride."
At the start of last season, Cherry correctly picked three of the four Stanley Cup semi-finalists (Anaheim Ducks, Ottawa Senators and Detroit Red Wings).
This year, he likes Anaheim, San Jose Sharks, Ottawa and New York Rangers in the final four. He sees Ottawa playing San Jose in the final. And the winner will be: not Ottawa.
"I think this is San Jose's year."
Cherry, on the Steve Downie cheap shot to Dean McAmmond: "You just don't do that. I like Downie. He's my type of guy, and he got whacked by somebody just before. But you go after the guy who hit you. You don't hit the next guy who comes along. It's unacceptable, as far as I'm concerned."
TV changes
The NHL's off-season was filled with roster moves, rookie signings and rebuilding projects. And that was just in broadcasting.
The Hockey Night pregame show has been revamped. Retired players will replace journalists on the Satellite Hot Stove panel. One of them is Scott Mellanby, whose 2006-07 season was his last.
Scott represents the second generation of Mellanbys to work on the show. His father, Ralph, was the executive producer for almost 20 years.
Starting this season, Hockey Night will be based at a studio in the Canadian Broadcasting Centre in Toronto. In the past, MacLean and Cherry worked out of the Air Canada Centre or made periodic visits to other Canadian NHL arenas. That's unlikely to occur this season.
As part of a move to bring younger broadcasters to the show, Craig Simpson, the former player and assistant coach, was hired as a game analyst.
At TSN, Tie Domi is out as a studio analyst and Mike Milbury, the former New York Islanders general manager, is in. Pierre McGuire will do double duty as a game and studio analyst.
TSN will air a new feature in which various groups - coaches, general managers, sportswriters and players - will be surveyed on issues and asked specific questions. Tonight, the question for general managers is: Not counting Sidney Crosby, which player would you pick to build a team around?
At Rogers Sportsnet, Pierre LeBrun of The Canadian Press and Bill Clement, formerly of NBC, will contribute to the Hockey Central panel. The Score has hired one new analyst, retired player Matthew Barnaby.
Big start
TSN did well with its Ottawa Senators-Toronto Maple Leafs opener last season, drawing 1.332 million viewers, its 10th largest audience in its history.
The network is going wall to wall with its Sens-Leafs opener tonight. That's Hockey will air at 5:30 p.m. (all times EDT), followed by Off the Record from the Air Canada Centre at 6 p.m. SportsCentre will focus on hockey. Dave Hodge, Glenn Healy and Milbury will do the pregame show at 7 p.m. Gord Miller and McGuire will call the game, with Dave Randorf at rinkside.
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