Tim Cherry: Don Cherry's Son, the Podcast and Life After The Grapevine

Who is Tim Cherry?

Tim Cherry is the son of Don Cherry, the Canadian hockey broadcaster who hosted Coach's Corner for 38 years. He grew up inside the game, produced the Rock'em Sock'em Hockey video series for decades, and kept his father's voice in front of an audience long after television stopped doing it. His work behind the mic turned a retired broadcaster into a weekly podcast host.

He was born in the 1960s to Don and his first wife Rosemarie. The family has never confirmed an exact birth date, which is why no precise age appears on this page. His sister was Cindy Cherry, who died in July 2024. His stepmother is Luba Cherry, who married Don in 1999.

Unlike his father, Tim has mostly stayed off camera. He is not a TV presenter, he does not give many interviews, and his name usually appears in the news attached to a Cherry family story rather than his own. The two places his work is fully visible are the Rock'em Sock'em tapes and the podcast feed.

The timeline

• 1960sBorn to Don Cherry and Rosemarie Cherry in Canada.
• 1970s to 1980sGrows up around the Boston Bruins, then Hockey Night in Canada after his father joins the show in 1980.
• Late 1980s to 1990sBegins producing the Rock'em Sock'em Hockey video series with his father.
• June 1, 1997His mother Rosemarie dies of liver cancer.
• 1999His father marries Luba Cherry, who becomes Tim's stepmother.
• November 11, 2019Sportsnet fires Don Cherry. Tim helps him launch The Grapevine podcast weeks later.
• 2019 to 2025Co-hosts Don Cherry's Grapevine Podcast for 313 episodes and about 6.5 million downloads.
• July 15, 2024His sister Cindy dies at 67. Tim is part of the family's statement.
• June 2025The final Grapevine episode is posted. Tim has not announced a new regular show since.

Rock'em Sock'em Hockey

Rock'em Sock'em Hockey was a yearly highlight video of hits, saves and fights. Don narrated it. Tim produced it. The tapes, and later the DVDs, became a Canadian Christmas staple and stayed in production for decades.

The series is often credited with keeping Don Cherry's voice familiar to a generation that never saw him coach the Boston Bruins. Long after his coaching career ended, the Rock'em Sock'em reels were the way most kids under fifteen heard his voice. Tim's job was to make the production side work, year after year, without the format wearing out.

The Grapevine podcast and why it ended

After Sportsnet fired Don Cherry in November 2019, the obvious question was what he would do next. The answer came quickly. Don Cherry's Grapevine Podcast launched before the end of the year, with Tim as co-host. Tim asked the questions. Don gave the opinions. The format barely changed for five years.

The show ran for 313 episodes and reached roughly 6.5 million downloads. That is a substantial audience for a hockey podcast with no television cross-promotion. It also kept Don working at a time when almost every other broadcaster his age had retired.

The final episode was posted in June 2025. Don signed off with a short goodbye. Tim told The Canadian Press he did not expect new episodes. Since then, the feed has been used occasionally by Tim and by Cindy's son Del, including an episode about Cindy's posthumous book, but there has been no announcement of a new regular show.

The Cherry family

This is the section most pages still get wrong. Cindy Cherry, Tim's sister, died in July 2024. Any page that describes her as keeping a private life without noting her death is out of date.

Where is Tim Cherry now?

Tim Cherry is based in Ontario, in the Greater Toronto Area. He stays close to his father, who lives in Mississauga and turned 92 in 2026. The two of them continue to work on projects together, though nothing as regular as the weekly podcast has been announced.

Outside the family business, Tim has worked as a scout in the Ontario Hockey League. That is a quieter role than podcast host, and it fits the pattern of his life. He has never wanted to be in the spotlight, even when the spotlight was a family business.

Since The Grapevine ended, the Cherry family has mostly been in the news for other reasons. Don Cherry's Order of Canada petition in March 2026 drew political attention. Luba Cherry's role in the 2025 Ron MacLean feud was widely reported. Tim has stayed out of both stories.

The Ontario connection

The Cherry family is tied to three places in Ontario. Kingston is where Don was born in 1934. Boston and Colorado are where he coached. Mississauga and the wider Greater Toronto Area are where the family has lived for decades, and where The Grapevine was recorded.

Tim's work has always been based in Ontario. The Rock'em Sock'em series was produced there. The podcast was recorded from a home studio there. Tim is not associated with any other city in the same way his father is with Kingston.

In other people's words

• Well, Tim, this is our last show. Thanks everybody for listening and toodaloo.

  Don Cherry, speaking to Tim on the final Grapevine episode, June 2025

• Don Cherry is a very generous man. He gave his kidney to his son.

  Family account of Cindy Cherry's kidney donation to Tim

• Tim has not announced a new regular show since The Grapevine ended.

  The Cherry Family Desk, October 2026

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