Cole wants to keep calling games, not retire
Veteran NHL hockey broadcaster, who was left off playoff roster, misses being in booth
Veteran hockey broadcaster Bob Cole turns 85 later this month and still has no plans to retire.
He’s not calling as many regular season games as he’d like, and the disappointment of being left out of the NHL playoff mix still lingers.
But Cole would like to return next season and Sportsnet president Scott Moore said this week that he’d like to have him back to call a few games. Chances are good the legendary play-by-play man will be back in the booth.
“I’d like to do more games than I have been doing, I mean, 10 or 15 games is not a lot,” Cole said Wednesday. “But 15 or 20 games, that would be great. A round or two in the playoffs. Keep me involved and being part of it. Hockey Night has been my life.”
Moore said Tuesday at a Toronto media availability that he has had preliminary talks with Cole and they’ll likely meet in the summer, like they’ve done in recent off-seasons, to discuss plans.
Cole has worked a reduced schedule over the last few years but said he was “very surprised” when he was told he wouldn’t be working any post-season games.
“They’ve got so many guys now, they can’t please everybody,” Cole told The Canadian Press from St. John’s. “So I have to respect what they’re doing. I guess they’re trying out different guys.
“So I wasn’t doing playoffs for the first time in my career. I was disappointed, of course, but I understand.”
Jim Hughson has served as one of the network’s top playby-play announcers in recent seasons. He’s calling the Stanley Cup Final between the Washington Capitals and Vegas Golden Knights.
Cole’s last game was the Ottawa Senators’ regular season finale in Boston April 7. The word came down the next day.
“I got a call saying that they’ve got their playoff (broadcasting) teams and I wasn’t involved, so that was it,” he said.
Instead of getting ready for the post-season, Cole went to Florida with his son to do some golfing. He went to a couple Lightning games in Tampa and watched some playoff games on NBC.
“It’s a great game,” Cole said. “I sure miss it, I know that. I’d rather be working than sitting back and watching. But everybody can’t work, so that’s the way it goes.”
The grind of a post-season run — loads of games, cross-country flights, morning practices, late nights at the rink — can be challenging for media members of any age.
“It’s gruelling but you’re so involved,” he said. “You get tired when it’s all over. That’s when it finally hits, like, ‘Oh my God, I’m worn out.’ And you’ve got to get a little rest. But yes, it’s hectic but it’s work and it’s the kind of work that you love to do.
“You’re part of it and you feel it, just like the players. It’s total involvement: total, total, total. And I love that.”
Cole acknowledges that the day will eventually come when he’ll have to step aside. But the idea of retirement has not crossed his mind.
“I never, ever gave it a thought, to be honest — never,” Cole said. “I’ve always felt like anybody that talks about retirement must not like what they’re doing very much. Why would you want to retire if you feel good, you feel involved, you’re interested and you’re pleased that people accept you in your job and you work together?”
Cole has spent nearly five decades on Hockey Night in Canada and still gets butterflies before every game.
He can’t wait to get back in the booth for the 2018-19 campaign.
“I still feel good, I still feel I can do the job, I enjoy doing the job,” Cole said. “I sure miss it. I miss it badly. It’s been my life, it’s too bad. But I’m fortunate that my voice is OK, it’s hanging on thank God, and everything is going fine.”