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WARMINGTON: Don Cherry, hockey comments on The Social spark outrage

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Describing hockey players as “white boys” and “bullies” while scolding parents for spending money on the sport was Jess Allen’s ‘you people’ moment.

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But unlike Don Cherry on Coach’s Corner, the co-host and contributor to The Social on CTV will not lose her job — as many are calling for.

In fact, the hashtag #FireJessAllen was trending Wednesday on Twitter.

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“Come on @TheSocialCTV @CTVToronto. Hold the same standard Sportsnet held Don Cherry to. This was very offensive,” one person tweeted.

Filling in this week for Lainey Lui, it was Cherry’s firing that prompted Allen’s comments to co-hosts Melissa Grelo, Cynthia Loyst and Marci Ien on Tuesday

Allen said that while she has been “told (Cherry) is a Canadian icon and a symbol of the great sport of hockey,” she doesn’t “worship at the altar of hockey.”

The reason she gave was “a certain type of person in my mind, in my experience, who does” and “they all tended to be white boys who were, let’s say, not very nice.”

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Added Allen: “They were not generally thoughtful. They were often bullies. Their parents were able to afford to spend $5,000 year on minor hockey: $5,000 is a lot of money. You can do other things besides than spending time in an arena. They could go on a trip and learn about the world. See other things, eh. The world is a big place. Get outside of that bubble.”

Continued Allen: “For me, Don Cherry is the walking and talking representative of that type.”

Although she acknowledged he has done some “good things,” she said that Cherry is “still a bigot and a misogynist.”

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Her low-blow smears of Don and hockey players are far worse than anything Cherry has said in 38 years on the air.

One thing different from what Cherry said last Saturday is that he didn’t refer to or single-out any race or skin colour.

Allen did.

“It was disgusting to watch this network air the sickening and racist rant against Canadians today. You should be ashamed of yourselves for giving a national platform to a racist troll like Jess Allen. #FireJessAllen,” tweeted one person.

Another wrote: “As someone on FB pointed out — wonder how the families and friends of the Humboldt players feel about her prejudiced rant. #firejessallen.”

Allen responded first on Twitter and later on Wednesday’s show.

“I never said every white boy, just the ones whose unsavoury behaviour, which didn’t feel very Canadian, I witnessed,” she tweeted.

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During the opening of Wednesday’s show, she described her opinions as her personal experience and that she respects hockey culture.

Grelo said she and the group support her “100%.”

And just like that, the fire is put out.

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No apology.

No walking back from disparaging the image of hockey players and their parents.

The rules are different for her. She can call Cherry a bigot or worse and the representative of bullies, there are no repercussions.

Her comments were offensive, but the whole point of free speech is to be able to speak freely and not be fired for ruffling feathers.

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Even Cherry defended Allen’s rights — albeit noting the irony that he “wouldn’t be allowed to say anything she said about me anywhere.”

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I certainly don’t want her to lose her job. She’s just a good panelist who went too far.

However, perhaps the lesson here is to remember that when somebody says things they don’t like, the same freedom they enjoy applies to their targets, too.

And somebody should tell Allen that women and girls of all ethnicities play hockey — including at the Olympics.

Perhaps Allen’s most controversial take was on Cherry’s supporters.

“I find it embarrassing,” said Allen.

“I find it embarrassing that there is a big chunk of the country that is so upset about this.”

Soldiers died for her freedom to express this. But what she said was pretty nasty.

jwarmington@postmedia.com

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