Ron McLean Confuses In Awkward Interview With Leafs Forward

Hockey Night In Canada is considered a relic in Canada's telling of the game of Hockey, at times, it's made conversations surrounding the game that have impacted the sport as much as it does as it's played. Last night, it made headlines as a relic perhaps past it's prime.

The HNIC panel interviewed Maple Leafs Forward Bobby McMann, who helped lead Toronto to a 6-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers on a two-goal performance with an assist. McLean brought up McMann's hometown of Wainwright, Alberta, where former Oilers Stanley Cup Head Coach and General Manager Glen Sather grew up.

McLean discussed Glen Sather's mother, Hazel, who owned a dress shop in Wainwright, and proceeded to ask McMann if he was aware of the history of Sather, to which McMann told the panel he did not. McLean continued, discussing Sather, who he described as "the king of swagger", comparing McMann to the former Hall of Famer, calling Sather a "great haberdasher", what Merriam-Webster dictionary defines as "a dealer in men's clothing and accessories".

Many seemed confused by McLean remarks, which seemed to have little to do with McMann's game itself, with some comments questioning McLean as a host, seeing the 63-year-old as past his prime at the helm of Hockey commentary.

McLean's former partner on 'Coaches Corner' Don Cherry, faced similar criticism over his viewed "old-fashioned" and conservative views, that later led to Cherry's firing in 2019 over a public on-air criticism of Canadian immigrants who don't wear poppies, viewed by many as racially insensitive, and a string of controversial statements made throughout Cherry's career. While McLean, usually the straight man to Cherry's colorful rants, has faced more scrutiny in his role since Cherry's dismissal. Some see McLean as either a elder statesman on the game, or a lost old man in a young man's profession.

McMann scored 3 points for Toronto en route to a 6-3 win over Connor McDavid & the Edmonton Oilers, but suffered a blow late in the third with an injury to Starter Ilya Samsonov, who left and did not return.