The new Conservative party was hoping to convince hockey commentator Don Cherry to run as a candidate in the 2004 election.
"I think he has a very strong personality and puts across his views in a forceful way that people appreciate," Tory MP Peter MacKay told The Globe and Mail.
He decided not to run citing time reasons and because he'd have to take a pay cut if he won a seat in Parliament.
Cherry had been open about his conservative views on CBC's Hockey Night in Canada. He once called the network an arm of the federal government. He was also an outspoken supporter of the Canadian military.
