ST. CATHARINES, ONT. - Ralph Mellanby often describes himself as the person who afflicted Kingston native Don Cherry on an unsuspecting nation.
But the former longtime executive producer of Hockey Night in Canada would be the last to suggest Cherry's rise to iconic status was a deliberate strategy.
"It's funny how these things work out," said Mellanby during Tuesday's Ludzy's Lounge podcast on Postmedia Network. "Cherry was an accident."
Mellanby, who brought one of his five Emmy awards to Tuesday's show, said Cherry was part of an ongoing process during CBC's broadcasts of the Stanley Cup finals.
"Every year in the playoffs, I wanted to do something different in the finals," he said.