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“George, for two years, probably put up with a lot. He kept coming and being a great colleague,” he said. Stroumboulopoulos was off on his motorcycle somewhere and wasn’t facing the cameras. If he’s upset it’s understandable enough — he did his best, after all — but his reaction was notably different from MacLean’s dignified show of loyalty when he was the one getting the axe.

MacLean’s dauntlessness must befuddle his bosses. When the CBC tried to squeeze him on pay in a new contract in 2002, it was flooded with 10,000 e-mails and forced to back down. MacLean didn’t gloat; he treated it all diplomatically and went to visit his parents. Rogers evidently didn’t learn from that episode, and decided — after paying a fortune to grab the hockey rights from CBC — that the ticket to bigger audiences was to jettison the host everyone liked, and reduce his weekly segment with Cherry that was by far the show’s most popular moment.

There were hints at the time that Rogers wanted a more cordial relationship with the National Hockey League. MacLean seems to drive NHL commissioner Gary Bettman nuts. Bettman has trouble controlling his hands at the best of times. Hosting the annual draft ceremony the other day, he looked like he was doing his imitation of a windmill, both arms flailing at the same time, not necessarily in the same direction. Young draft picks heading for the stage must have thought he was trying to shoo them away. When MacLean gets going on Bettman, the hands lose all control. Bettman doesn’t like being challenged, and MacLean can be a bit relentless. It’s unlikely Bettman was upset at MacLean’s demotion, and can’t be overwhelmed with joy that he’s back. Especially since it’s a sign of how popular MacLean is — popularity is something Bettman has never enjoyed, particularly in Canada.