One more year for Bob Cole
TORONTO — Oh baby! Hockey fans will be hearing a familiar voice on “Hockey Night in Canada” for one last season.
Legendary play-by-play man Bob Cole will return to the broadcast booth to call 10 games in his 50th and final season on HNIC, Sportsnet said Thursday.
“Hockey has been my passion for as long as I can remember,” Cole said in a release. “It’s been an honour and a privilege serving Canadian hockey fans across the country and being part of the ‘Hockey Night in Canada’ institution.
“I’m looking forward to getting to the rinks for this last season, seeing familiar faces and getting out there to do what I love most in the world.”
Known for his “Oh baby!” catchphrase and deep, booming voice, Cole’s first game of the new campaign is set for Oct. 6 when the Montreal Canadiens visit the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The rest of his broadcast schedule wasn’t released. Sportsnet said all of Cole’s games would be over the first half of the season, adding that further details of a tribute in his honour will be announced at a later date.
Cole, 85, got his start in hockey broadcasting with VOCM Radio in his hometown of St. John’s, N.L., and moved into television in 1973. The Gemini Award-winning broadcaster and Order of Canada member has also handled play-by-play for multiple Olympic Games.
Last spring, Cole not call a post-season game for the first time in his career.