“A Good Canadian Boy”: Crisis Masculinity, Canadian National Identity, and Nostalgic Longings in Don Cherry'sCoach's Corner

Abstract

In this article, I examine the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's controversial hockey commentator Don Cherry and his weekly television segment on Hockey Night in Canada called Coach's Corner. Through a content analysis of three seasons of Coach's Corner (2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09), I examine Cherry as a marker (and maker) of nostalgic remembering. The press and the public both revere and revile his performance of manliness, and the style of masculinity that he advocates, as a throwback to simpler days. For Cherry, these simpler times, which contrast with the idea of a current-day masculinity in crisis, privileged the “self-made man” who, through hard work, could make a way for himself in the world. In this article, I argue that Cherry's articulations of morality are linked to discourses of masculinity in crisis, taking the form of a nostalgic privileging of an anachronistic style of masculinity that locates an appropriate sense of masculine style within a particular class consciousness, namely the working class, and a particular geographic locale, namely small-town Canada.

Conflicts in Sporting Masculinity: The Beliefs and Behaviors of Canadian Male Athletes

“…This is particularly noteworthy in Canada. Hockey's symbolic status in Canadian culture is central to the foundation of Canadian identity as White, masculine, middle-class, heterosexual, homophobic, and physical (Allain, 2008(Allain, , 2015Bridel & Clark, 2012;MacDonald, 2018).…”

“…Moreover, many believe that progressive social change in support of immigration, feminism, and LGBTQ+ rights, and activism for racial equality, is prompting a resurgence of orthodox masculinity. For instance, rather than a reduction of gendered oppression, some posit progressiveness is igniting renewed backlash against the perceived or real loss of male privilege and identity (Allain, 2015; Kimmel, 2013; Flood et al 2018). Sailofsky and Orr (2020) document this backlash within hockey culture.…”

Masculinity, cancel culture and woke capitalism: Exploring Twitter response to Brendan Leipsic’s leaked conversation

“…Among other contexts such as the military, police and corporate firms, men have historically performed and represented hegemonic masculinity through participation and success in violent, homosocial male team sports (Kalman-Lamb, 2020). This participation often includes misogynistic, homophobic and homoerotic behaviour and joking (Pronger, 1990. Canadian 'hockey masculinity', defined by Allain (2015) as 'a sense of masculine style linked to hitting, fighting, and physical confrontation' (119), is a close cousin of hegemonic masculinity. Canadian hockey masculinity is marked specifically by its glorification of White colonial violence and the pre-eminence of White men as stewards of Canadian identity.…”

One Step Forward, Two Tweets Back: Exploring Cultural Backlash and Hockey Masculinity on Twitter

“…Many hockey players, fans, and media members continue to support fighting and physical play, and position these aspects of the sport as vital to hockey's cultural importance (Allain, 2015).…”

“…For some fans and participants, reduced fighting is an unwelcome, radical change to hockey culture, as the sport has historically embodied a "culture of toughness" (Haché, 2002) and "warrior" masculinity (Allain, 2008;Gee, 2009). This understanding of hockey masculinity is reflected in the views held by Don Cherry, a celebrated but controversial Canadian media personality (Allain, 2015;Gillet et al, 1996) who, between 1980 and late 2019, starred in the hugely popular Coach's Corner show on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's (CBC) flagship Hockey Night in Canada (Allain, 2015). Cherry celebrates fighting, body contact, the ability to continue playing while injured, and respecting "the code" of hockey, the unofficial norms of NHL player conduct where players should be expected and forced to fight if they engage in dirty or "cheap" play (Allain, 2015;Bernstein, 2006;Knowles, 1995).…”