CBC host Ron MacLean recently told the Kingston Whig Standard that former co-host Don Cherry was seeking an “exit strategy” from Coach's Corner prior to the famed host delivering a rant critical of newcomers to Canada not wearing poppies in honour of Remembrance Day.

“I think that pneumonia scare was it,” MacLean claimed, recalling an incident prior to a game in the 2019 Stanley Cup final.

“The pneumonia said to Don, ‘It’s time.’ He had to think, ‘Why is this grind suddenly so hard?’ He was ready to have an exit strategy. From that moment on, he was plotting a way out. The first opportunity (to end Coach’s Corner) was going to be a happy one for Don. And I thought he did it well,” MacLean said.

But Cherry fired back at his former broadcast partner, telling the Toronto Sun MacLean's version of the story was inaccurate — that he was “pretty tired” and simply went back to his hotel room, eventually spending a night hospital upon his return to Canada.

On Monday's Rebel Roundup livestream, hosts Sheila Gunn Reid and David Menzies weighed in on the dispute between two of the country's most recognizable broadcasters.

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“If Don Cherry was sick and tired of Coach's Corner, he would have done a farewell show and it would have been a proper show, saying goodbye to his favourite interviewees over the years,” David said of MacLean's allegations.

“Ron MacLean is one of the worst individuals in the entire media landscape, and I think in all of sports broadcasting,” shared Sheila, noting the field is filled with radical far-leftist viewpoints. “Why would you lie about something so easily checked out, except you exist in a bubble where you think that people trust you and don't trust Don Cherry.”

David was left wondering: “what in the blue hell is Ron MacLean's unspoken strategy to do this?” Is the broadcaster angling for an Order of Canada nomination or a Senate seat, wondered Sheila.

“For some reason, the same people who complain about toxic masculinity are lecturing me about sports primarily played by very masculine men,” Sheila said.

“In a world of Ron MacLean's, be a friend like Bobby Orr,” she continued, citing the legendary NHLer's defence of his longtime friend.

“Bobby Orr did not have to say a word; he's one of the most respected people in all of sports, and he stood up for his friend. He could have remained silent, but he came out swinging for his friend.”