Do denialists hate Michael Mann for desecrating one of their idols?

I think the history is backwards here. e.g., deniers discovered the "Medieval Warming Period" only after the hockey stick reconstruction. Back at the time of the first IPCC, today's deniers (the senior and savvy ones) were busy denying other things, such as nicotine causing cancer or the White House covering up Iran-Contra). The junior wannabes (on YA here now) were busy flunking high school science and English.