Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90.

Born June 24, 1933, the St. JohnB次元官网网址檚, N.L., native provided a distinctive soundtrack to CanadaB次元官网网址檚 game. He was known for his signature B次元官网网址淥h babyB次元官网网址� call, an expression that was not restricted to hockey arenas.

B次元官网网址淗eB次元官网网址檚 been saying that around the house as long as I can remember,B次元官网网址� daughter Megan said in ColeB次元官网网址檚 2016 autobiography B次元官网网址淣ow IB次元官网网址檓 Catching On. My Life On and Off the Air.B次元官网网址�

Cole first remembers using it to describe some memorable Mario Lemieux stickhandling in Game 2 of the 1991 Stanley Cup final against Minnesota.

B次元官网网址淟ook at Lemieux. Oh my heavens. What a goal. What a move. Lemieux. Oh baby,B次元官网网址� Cole said excitedly after Lemieux went the length of the ice, skated through the defence pair of Shawn Chambers and Neil Wilkinson and deked goalie Jon Casey.

B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 know when itB次元官网网址檚 going to come out. No idea B次元官网网址� I donB次元官网网址檛 plan it. ItB次元官网网址檚 spontaneous,B次元官网网址� he wrote in his autobiography. B次元官网网址淚 donB次元官网网址檛 script the thing. ItB次元官网网址檚 ad-libbed B次元官网网址� and thatB次元官网网址檚 what broadcastingB次元官网网址檚 all about.B次元官网网址�

Hockey Night in Canada host Ron MacLean said ColeB次元官网网址檚 distinctive play-by-play style B次元官网网址渃omes on you like smoke from a campfire.B次元官网网址�

Fellow broadcaster Greg Millen, a former NHL goaltender, said ColeB次元官网网址檚 voice was B次元官网网址渁lmost like a symphony.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淏ob had an unbelievable ability of bringing the game up and down depending on what was happening on the ice.B次元官网网址�

In typical Cole fashion, he initially wondered ahead of doing the autobiography who would be interested in reading his story, B次元官网网址渏ust because I do hockey games.B次元官网网址�

But what games. He did the 1972 Summit Series on radio. On TV, there was the 1976 game in Philadelphia when the Soviet Red Army players left the ice in protest at the Flyers take-no-prisoners tactics. B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檙e going home,B次元官网网址� said an incredulous Cole.

He was there for the 2002 Olympic final in Salt Lake City when Canada ended its 50-year Olympic gold-medal drought with a win over the United States in the final.

B次元官网网址淛oe Sakic scores and that makes it 5-2 Canada. Surely thatB次元官网网址檚 got to be it?B次元官网网址� said Cole.

Not to mention a string of Stanley Cup finals.

But Cole was more than hockey.

He called Bob BeamonB次元官网网址檚 world-record long jump at the 1968 Olympics, curled in the Brier, served as quiz master on B次元官网网址淩each for the TopB次元官网网址� and worked for the Newfoundland government.

ColeB次元官网网址檚 Hockey Night in Canada swansong came April 6, 2019, the regular-season finale in Montreal between the Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs. Players, coaches and fans stood in appreciation to honour Cole in the second period as his four children, Christian, Hilary, Megan and Robbie, watched in the gondola at the Bell Centre.

B次元官网网址淭hank you so much Montreal and Canada,B次元官网网址� he said to viewers, looking down from his perch. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 been a pleasure. IB次元官网网址檓 going to miss this.B次元官网网址�

Don Cherry praised Cole during his CoachB次元官网网址檚 Corner segment that night.

B次元官网网址淔oster (Hewitt) was good, Danny (Gallivan) was good,B次元官网网址� Cherry said of ColeB次元官网网址檚 HNIC predecessors. B次元官网网址淏ut the best of all, I think, and IB次元官网网址檝e seen them all, is Bob Cole.B次元官网网址�

NHL greats from Wayne Gretzky to Mark Messier and current stars Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid as well as MacLean and Harry Neale, his former colour man, all feted Cole.

B次元官网网址淢r. Cole, congratulations on 50 great years of hockey. You were an inspiration to all of us in Canada,B次元官网网址� said Gretzky, adding B次元官网网址淥h baby.B次元官网网址�

In his later years, ColeB次元官网网址檚 broadcasting schedule was reduced by Rogers, which took over national TV rights via Sportsnet ahead of the 2014-15 season. He did 16 games his final season, up from the 10 originally planned.

B次元官网网址淚 wish it were more, but theyB次元官网网址檝e got a lot of guys in place,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檝e got my phone number.

B次元官网网址淚 answer every time that it rings,B次元官网网址� he added dryly.

Cole counted family, flying, dogs, Broadway shows and fly-fishing among his loves.

His love for hockey started at a young age. At 11, he was bedridden for almost six months due to a knee injury suffered playing soccer.

The neighbourhood helped him collect Quaker Oats box tops for a promotion that involved photos of NHL players. With the photos spread out on his bed in line formations, heB次元官网网址檇 listen to the VONF radio broadcasts of games.

He listened to Hewitt bring the game alive. B次元官网网址淚t was heaven for me,B次元官网网址� he told the CBC in a 2019 interview.

Years later, he still had his own system for writing down the lines for use in the broadcast booth.

His first job in radio came in 1954 at VOCM in St. JohnB次元官网网址檚 as a part-time news reader and DJ.

His life took a turn in 1956 when, on the way back from a trip to New York, the aspiring broadcaster decided to drop off a five-minute audition tape at HewittB次元官网网址檚 Toronto radio station.

To ColeB次元官网网址檚 surprise, Hewitt made time for him and listened to the tape right there and then. They spent some two hours together.

HewittB次元官网网址檚 advice? Save the big call for the big play, use different voice levels and feel the flow of the game. It served Cole well.

Beginning on radio, Cole looked to paint a picture with his calls.

B次元官网网址淵ouB次元官网网址檝e got to take over somebodyB次元官网网址檚 mind, try to get them into the building,B次元官网网址� he said.

Starting in April 1969 doing an NHL playoff semifinal game in Boston on radio B次元官网网址� Jean Beliveau scored in double overtime to eliminate the Bruins B次元官网网址� Cole moved to TV in 1973.

His work routine never changed. For Saturday games, he flew in Friday and returned Sunday. He met the coaches the morning of the game to go over their lineups, had a nap in the afternoon, then returned to the rink to go to work.

Fifty years on, he said he still got goosebumps walking into the arena.

Cole was old-school. He talked while the action was on, leaving his colour analyst to chime in when play halted.

Neale was one of his favourite broadcast partners. B次元官网网址淗e loves the game and that showed up through every broadcast he ever made,B次元官网网址� said Neale

B次元官网网址淲e had a pretty good chemistry in the booth,B次元官网网址� Cole said.

ColeB次元官网网址檚 signature calls, such as B次元官网网址淒esjardins! And the Canadiens win in overtime,B次元官网网址� in the 1993 Stanley Cup final, remain in demand.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檝e had guys in NHL dressing rooms come up with something like that. B次元官网网址淕ive us that (Eric) Desjardins goal! CB次元官网网址檓on Bob!B次元官网网址� Cole recalled.

Cole was honoured by the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996 when he won the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for outstanding contributions as a hockey broadcaster. In 2016, he was invested as a Member of the Order of Canada during a ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa.

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