Saying Goodbye to Bob Cole, Canada’s Springtime Voice

The following eulogy of hockey broadcasting legend Bob Cole is a guest post courtesy of Chase Ruttig.

Growing up in Saskatchewan, Canada, the turn of the calendar from March to April meant a couple of things:

The snow melting, ever so briefly teasing warm weather and a permanent change of seasons one week, then a chilling reminder this is Canada when snow came right back the next week; and, as any sports-obsessed Canadian knows, playoff hockey on the airwaves of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 

For most Canadians, the sound of the springtime was the booming broadcasting voice of Bob Cole.

Cole — who passed away April 25 at 90 years old — was the fixture of the marquee 7 p.m. game on Hockey Night In Canada every Saturday night. And, Cole was seemingly part of every major hockey moment that coincided with from the beginning of his career in the late ‘60s until his retirement at the end of the 2010s. 

Cole called the famous Summit Series on the radio in 1972, which pit Canadian stars against the mighty Soviet National Team for an eight-game series. He was there for the rise of Wayne Gretzky’s Edmonton Oilers in the 1980s and the triumphs of Mario Lemieux in the early 90s.

When Gretzky moved to Hollywood, Cole provided the sound for the Los Angeles Kings and Toronto Maple Leafs controversial seven-game classic in 1993 that ended with The Great One reaching the last Stanley Cup Finals of his career — with the help of an uncalled high stick in Game 6.

Cole updated Leafs fans on their heartbreak on all three of Gretzky’s goals, including Cole’s memorable call of a wraparound bank shot goal off defenceman Dave Ellett to put the dagger in all of Toronto’s hearts. 

Cole was also there for Wayne’s brief cameo with the St. Louis Blues, providing an iconic account of Steve Yzerman’s unforgettable overtime winner.

Yzerman received the puck after a Gretzky turnover in the neutral zone, a moment that showcased the legendary timing that made both the longtime Red Wings centre and Cole Hall of Famers.

For Cole, the game-winner demonstrated how he relayed the gravity of a moment through simplicity, bellowing ‘SCORES’ and then a simple-yet-emphatic ‘Yzerman!’ It’s an approach nearly every one of his successors has copied.

When Lemieux came out of retirement after a 44-month hiatus in 2000, Cole was of course there for a special edition of Hockey Night In Canada.

On a Wednesday night, Cole welcomed Mario back to the sport with yet another display of his sense for the moment. His plea to ‘listen to this crowd’ showcased his innate ability to make his calls for big moments stand out while not overshadowing the atmosphere brought by a raucous crowd. 

The early 00s marked the end of Cole’s prime as the lead announcer for CBC and featured many classic calls and classic games to which he provided the soundtrack.

The Battle of Ontario matchups between the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Ottawa Senators offered plenty of memorable games and overtime goals, but the biggest game of the ‘00s for Cole came outside of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Thirty years after the Summit Series, Cole was there for Canada’s greatest Olympic ice hockey triumph at the Salt Lake City Olympics as the lead announcer for the CBC. 

After falling short in the first Olympic tournament at Nagano 1998, Canada’s run to the gold medal game brought unprecedented attention not seen since the ‘72 series against the Soviet Union. In the final, Canada fittingly faced the host United States in a game watched by 10.6 million Canadians.

A number that more than doubled the previously most watched sporting event, Game 7 of the 1994 Stanley Cup Finals between the New York Rangers and Vancouver Canucks. A game where Cole was also the play-by-play announcer as if there was a big moment on the ice, he was there to provide the commentary for it. 

On that day in 2002, Cole’s calls for all five goals were pitch perfect. However, his most memorable came on the game-clinching 5-2 goal from Joe Sakic.

Repeating ‘Joe Sakic scores’ twice for good measure, followed by the 5-2 Canada score and a ‘surely that’s gotta be it’ Cole shared in the joy and relief across a nation that was nearing its first hockey Gold in 50 years. 

And at the end of the game, he summed it up with his trademark excitement without the feeling of forced hyperbole. "Now after 50 years, it's time for Canada to stand up and cheer. Stand up and cheer everybody! The Olympics Salt Lake City, 2002, men's ice hockey, Gold medal: Canada!" 

I was in a familiar place for that moment, and many of Cole’s greatest calls as an announcer. In the basement of my childhood home, watching on a Sony Wega TV that nearly gave my brother and me back injuries for life when it needed to be replaced at the end of the Tube TV era; a time that feels weird being referred to as a bygone era even if it was 22  years ago and is now part of ‘history’ in the same way as Gretzky’s Oilers dynasty is now a history lesson for people first learning about the sport. 

After the 2002 Olympics, Cole continued to provide playoff hockey moments on the national broadcast airwaves. With the Maple Leafs mostly being lousy, followed by Jim Hughson taking over the marquee play-by-play role, Cole became the voice of many Montreal Canadiens playoff runs. He soundtracked their rivalry clashes with the Boston Bruins and the brilliance of Carey Price in goal. 

Cole’s voice and the sounds of playoff hockey signaled the end of our dark and frigid winters, and captured the beauty of Canada’s spring and summer weather. He was right there along for the joy of finishing up high school or university or work and getting together with friends to watch a game with a familiar voice in the background, commanding your attention for the big moments.

For multiple generations, Cole’s voice was a constant as life came full circle: from the innocence of watching games with family in the living room, to the days of throwing back Molson Canadian and bong rip-fueled hangouts with friends, then returning to the innocence of sharing hockey with their own children. 

It is only fitting Bob Cole has left us at the time of year most Canadians associate with his voice. It’s a sunny day in Saskatoon as I am killing time and thinking about playoff hockey, looking forward to the end of the day so I can turn on the CBC at 5 p.m. — 7 p.m. Eastern — as I have done every April for as long as I can remember.

And I can’t help but think how lucky we were in Canada to have spent so many of those nights listening to one of the greatest voices in sports broadcasting history.