Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90.
Cole, known for his “Oh baby!” catchphrase, called some of the most iconic games in hockey as part of CBC’s “Hockey Night in Canada” broadcast team.
His distinctive play-by-play style added even more flavour to the 1972 Summit Series, the 2002 Olympic final in Salt Lake City and numerous Stanley Cup finals.
But Cole was more than hockey.
He called Bob Beamon’s world-record long jump at the 1968 Olympics, curled in the Brier, served as quiz master on “Reach for the Top” and worked for the Newfoundland government.
Cole called his last game for Hockey Night in Canada on April 6, 2019 — the regular-season finale in Montreal between the Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 25, 2024.
The Canadian Press
