Fans take to social media to bash Ron MacLean's character

It hasn't been a great start to the preseason for NHL host Ron MacLean, as many fans have taken to social media to call him out on a variety of issues.

The NHL preseason started this weekend, with teams around the league taking to the ice on Saturday and Sunday. A number of exciting games dotted the schedule and seemed like a promising start to the hockey season. More than the excitement of the games themselves, though, was a Canadian broadcaster finding himself at the center of a social media firestorm.

The long-time host of 'Hockey Night in Canada', Ron MacLean, was trending over the weekend, but not for anything to do with the preseason action. Instead, fans took to social media to vent about how MacLean is still on the broadcast. Criticisms rolled in as several users voiced their disappointment with the performance of the broadcaster and felt he had no place in today's NHL coverage.

There was a remarkable amount of backlash, as legions of fans took to airing their grievances in the forms of likes and comments alike on social media. It is not immediately clear when these sentiments towards MacLean began, though some point to his handling of the fallout that saw Don Cherry dismissed as a turning point. MacLean distanced himself from his former co-host on 'Coach's Corner, a decision which many fans appear incapable of forgiving.

And all of that was further inflamed by the birthday tribute MacLean gave Cherry earlier this year, which Cherry's son publicly rebuked. Perhaps it was that incident that poured gasoline on simmering tensions, but it doesn't explain the volume of hate coming MacLean's way. The negative commentary through the weekend seemed to speak to something bigger, as the sense, among some fans anyway, is that MacLean is just not a good fit for the broadcast anymore.

The bottom line of the social media outrage against Ron MacLean does symbolize growing dissatisfaction among NHL fans. Whether the said criticism is in relation to past controversies remains to be seen, but the overall sentiment seemingly is that viewers are ready for change. Whether that means a shift in broadcasting remains to be seen.

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