Bob Cole

In 1999, when the Toronto Maple Leafs played their final home game at Maple Leaf Gardens, Hockey Night in Canada play-by-play announcer Bob Cole remarked, “This great and admired lady has been just fine since 1931, thank you. Well, times change and one must move on.”

Those words still give me chills.

Last Wednesday, Bob Cole passed away at the age of 90 in his hometown of St. John’s, Newfoundland.

Bob Cole was the voice of hockey for generations of Canadians. He began broadcasting hockey games on CBC Radio in 1969 before moving over to television and Hockey Night in Canada in 1973. Cole retired in 2019 after 50 years of calling games.

His voice was special.

No one connected sport with emotion better than Bob Cole. He made the viewer feel the game, meeting every big moment on the ice with the perfect inflection. Every game was a masterpiece and he used his voice to paint it.

Growing up, Saturday nights were my favourite. It meant I could tune into the Leafs game on Hockey Night in Canada and listen to Bob Cole and his colour commentator, Harry Neale, call the game. There was something different about their broadcasts.

I made sure I was in front of the television by 6:30pm, not wanting to miss the opening music video, and pre-game show.

Even as I’m typing this, it’s hard for me to put into words just how important Bob Cole was to me and millions of other fans. I loved the Leafs and a big reason for that was Bob Cole. Weird, right? He wasn’t on the team. He wasn’t a coach. He was a broadcaster. That might’ve been the most important position, though.

When he called a game, you weren’t just watching a sporting event between two teams. It felt bigger than that. More important.

He went up and down with the emotion of the building and made it impossible for you to turn away.

Bob Cole had a way of reaching deep into your soul as a hockey fan and pulling out your unbridled and unwavering passion for your favourite team. Hockey was our religion. The players were our heroes, our idols.

And Bob Cole was the soundtrack of it all.

I remember going to my first hockey game on a Saturday night in 2003. I remember how different the game felt without commentary. Sure, the crowd would scream and chant, here and there. But when the players went up and down the ice, it was just…people skating, chasing a puck.

Knowing me, I probably wished there was a way to get Bob Cole’s voice coming out of the arena’s speakers.

There was a warm and fuzzy feeling I would get when watching a hockey game on a Saturday night. It was just perfect. Nothing else mattered. That is how Bob Cole made me feel as a viewer.

In 2008, he was replaced as lead play-by-play man of Hockey Night in Canada, which meant he wouldn’t be calling Leafs games. He would be calling the games of other Canadian teams on Saturday night.

I hated it then and I hated typing it now.

I don’t mean to take away from any of the broadcasters who have called Leafs game on a Saturday night since then, but there’s only one Bob Cole. You can’t replace him.

Saturday nights are not as special to me today, as they were in the late 90s and early 2000s. I don’t know if it’s because I’m romanticizing nostalgia, or if I just grew up, or if – and I think it’s this one – it’s because Bob Cole was no longer calling the games.

Even when the Leafs were doing poorly, his voice reinforced your loyalty as a fan.

Bob Cole’s iconic calls are accessible within seconds on the internet. A lot of them don’t even need to be searched for because his words still rattle around the minds of hockey fans across the country. They keep us connected to moments that are decades old.

Here are a few of my favourite Bob Cole calls:

2002 Eastern Conference Finals: Carolina Hurricanes vs. Toronto Maple Leafs

The Leafs were down 1-0 with 40 seconds left in the third period. Lose and go home. Bob Cole took over as the Leafs poured the pressure on in the offensive zone.

“Leafs are all over the net there now…here’s a chance at the line…quick shot by Kaberle…shoots right in…scramble…SCORES! The Leafs have tied the GAME! And the place goes crazy!”

The place did go crazy. I’ve seldom seen the arena like that since.

I’ve probably watched that highlight 100 times, if not more, on YouTube. It’s so good. It’s so magical. It’s Bob Cole at his best. The Leafs went on to lose the game in overtime, but that game-tying goal is one of my favourite memories.

Salt Lake City 2002: USA vs. Canada – Gold Medal Game

Canada was leading 4-2 in the third period with under two minutes left when Joe Sakic went streaking in on a breakaway and made it a 5-2 game.

“Canada trying to get on and get a break…it’s gonna be a break. It is Joe Sakic….scores! Jyyeeoooe! Sakic! Scores! And that makes it 5-2 Canada. Surely, that’s gotta be it!”

Again, it’s just so good.

2006: Mats Sundin’s 500th NHL Goal

The Toronto Maple Leafs and Calgary Flames were tied 4-4 in overtime. Leafs Captain Mats Sundin had two goals during regulation and was sitting on 499 for his career.

The Flames were on a 4-on-3 power-play when Sundin took the puck inside his own blue line and skated up ice with it. He entered the Flames zone and took a shot from just inside the blue line…

“Sundin is up there…two goals on the night…wha-…SCORES! Mats Sundin wins the game with 500 in this terrific career! The captain of the Maple Leafs has this crowd going nuts…in the Air Canada Centre! Sundin, a hat trick and number 500!”

I’ll never forget watching that game. It was so perfect and Bob Cole did not miss a beat. He captured it perfectly.

Other Favourites

• Steve Thomas’ overtime goal against the Ottawa Senators in Game 5 of 2000 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

• “Everything is happening!”

• One of his trademarks: “Ohhh baby!!”

• “This is hockey, baby. This is the playoffs. And this is Montreal.”

Bob Cole had a gift that we were fortunate enough to experience. No one can, or will, ever call a hockey game the way Bob Cole did. He made every big moment seem larger than life. Magical, even. And he knew when to say nothing and let the crowd tell the story.

I am so happy I got to grow up and listen to Bob Cole call Leafs games on Saturday night. There truly was nothing more special than that.

Thank you for the memories, Bob Cole.

You will be missed, but never forgotten.