Thanks for the memories Bob
Longtime hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90
“Here, we go on a Saturday night.”
Bob Cole, the voice of a generation of hockey fans, died Wednesday in St. John’s at age 90.
On Saturday nights, those fans would listen and watch as the boy from Topsail narrated their favourite teams playing their favourite sport as the play-by-play voice for CBC’S “Hockey Night in Canada.”
In a way, Cole was the narrator of their childhood. His voice carried them through the triumphs and the defeats, and the small moments that came between them.
“A legend,” Premier Andrew Furey said moments after receiving news of Cole’s death. “He was an incredible man and an incredible voice, not just for hockey across our great nation but Newfoundlanders and Labradorians.”
GREAT NEWFOUNDLANDER
As a boy, Cole idolized Foster Hewitt, calling his own hockey games in his room. Cole rose to prominence in 1969 when he first stepped into the booth as a play-byplay man for the radio call of “Hockey Night.”
It wasn’t long before his knack for language — he painted more than he spoke — and his ability to draw listeners in with those words made him a household name.
In 1974, Cole moved to television broadcasting. Along the way, he became one of Newfoundland’s most famous residents.
“(Cole) transcended hockey and he brought Canadians together,” said former NHLER Terry Ryan. “Wherever I go in Canada, people know I’m from Newfoundland and usually the first hockey person they bring up is Bob Cole. Not Teddy Purcell or Danny Cleary, not Michael Ryder. Not my dad. They usually go, ‘Hey, home of Bob Cole’.”
CALLING HOCKEY’S GREATEST MOMENTS
Serving alongside the likes of Harry Neale, John Davidson, Garry Galley and others, Cole and his colleagues’ combined performance became the soundtrack for many of hockey’s greatest moments.
That included Paul Henderson’s famous goal in Game 8 of the 1972 Canada-russia series, the departure of Russia’s Red Army hockey team during a game against the Philadelphia Flyers, and countless highlights from the Stanley Cup playoffs.
“His voice ranks up there when we think of the great play-by-play announcers in ‘Hockey Night in Canada,’ Danny Gallivan and Foster Hewitt,” said provincial Progressive Conservative Leader Tony Wakeham. “I would argue that his voice ranks right up there with them. (Cole was) a great Newfoundlander and Labradorian and certainly a representative for our province on the national and international scene.”
AN AMBASSADOR
Cole watched as Alex Faulkner made his NHL debut as its first Newfoundlander and was on call as Dan Cleary became the first player from this province to win the Stanley Cup.
That series stands out to Cleary, now the assistant director of player development with the Detroit Red Wings. Before it started, Cole found Cleary deep inside the old Mellon Arena and told him it was his last time calling a Stanley Cup finals.
“He said, ‘I really hope you win it and I get to call it,’ and we did,” said Cleary. “That was a cool moment that we had together.”
Every time Cole called one of Cleary’s games they always made sure to catch up. They asked each other about their families and how they were doing.
It was a connection that resonated strongly as his career progressed.
“For me, it’s his voice.
It’s what he brought to the television for me,”said Cleary. “I was just so proud that he is from Newfoundland.”
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS
Cole built relationships with all NHL players from this province. For them, it was forging a connection between a small group of people from the same province.
Ryan remembers meeting Cole when he was 19 years old after a Montreal Canadiens game. It was a “Hockey Night in Canada” game and in the dressing room afterward, Ryan and Cole shared a drink and just talked.
“I had never met him,” said Ryan. “I felt like I was meeting a god and he lived up to expectations and over the years, after that day, my NHL journey probably didn’t go as either of us would have expected, but he remained a friend.”
HE COULD MAKE YOU FEEL
For 50 years, Cole’s voice
timnewdith moved in the movements of the game’s greatest. The likes of Howe, Beliveau, Hull, Orr, Gretzky, Lemieux, Ovechkin and Crosby all had their best moments narrated by Cole.
Phrases like his famous, “Oh Baby!” became more than hockey calls. Phrases like, “That was a dandy,” or, “You betcha,” became synonymous with plays so amazing you couldn’t believe what you had just seen.
Those and others remain part of today’s hockey pop culture and are just a small part of his legacy.
He called his last game in 2019.
“I just remember there’s nothing better than hearing him when he got excited and the ‘oh baby’ came out,” said curler Brad Gushue. “You just don’t get that now when you hear the telecast. Nobody has that tone, nobody has that level of excitement and let the play really come through the TV.
“I thought Bob was the best at that and he is the type of announcer that would get you to jump out of your seat. That’s what I remember about him, and he had such a passion for hockey and for broadcasting.”
COLE WAS A FRIEND
Gushue said he considered the legendary broadcaster a friend.
They got to know each other during one of the NHL strikes. Cole, a standout curler in his own right, would come down to the curling club in St. John’s and the pair would chat after Gushue practised.
They chatted during the 2006 Olympics and before the 2017 Brier. Gushue always appreciated those conversations.
“Those conversations were fun for someone like me that grew up, like most people my age, listening to him every Saturday night doing a hockey game,” said Gushue. “To get to know him well and have a relationship with him, that was kind of cool.”
HONOURED
Cole was inducted into the Pro Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996 after receiving the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for broadcast excellence. Three years later, he was inducted into the Hockey Newfoundland and Labrador Hall of Fame and the Sport NL Hall of Fame.
The accolades didn’t stop there. He was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award for his career’s work by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television at the 2022 Canadian Screen Awards show.
“He was something extra special for Newfoundland and Labrador,” said Furey.