Hockey Broadcasting Legend, Bob Cole, Dies at 90

Legendary broadcaster Bob Cole poses prior to calling his last NHL hockey game as the Montreal Canadiens play the Toronto Maple Leafs in Montreal, Saturday, April 6, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes

A familiar voice of hockey in Canada, Bob Cole, has died at the age of 90.

Jon Shannon, a friend of Mr. Cole, said the broadcaster died on April 24 in St. John’s, Newfoundland.

Mr. Cole’s daughter Megan confirmed the news to the CBC and said her father had been healthy until his death.

“Thank you for decades of love for his work, love of Newfoundland, and love of hockey,” Ms. Cole told CBC News.

Mr. Cole’s first on-air game was on radio with a 1969 match between Boston and Montreal. He moved to TV in 1973 and called his last game on April 6, 2019—the regular season finale between Montreal and Toronto.

Well known by Hockey Night in Canada fans and noted for his “Oh, baby!” catchphrase, he called many Stanely Cup games over his career. His play-by-play style added flavour to the 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the Soviet Union, and he called the 2002 Olympic final in Salt Lake City.

He was honoured by the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996 and awarded the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for outstanding contributions as a broadcaster. In 2022, he received a lifetime achievement award from the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television.

Hockey Night in Canada host Ron MacLean said Mr. Cole’s legacy was that “the players adored him.”

“He always said the game’s the thing, not the show, but the players so respected him … He was comfortable. He was professional. He was talented,” Mr. MacLean said.

Toronto Maple Leafs coach Sheldon Keefe sent his condolences to Mr. Cole’s family in remarks on April 25.

“Someone who touched the game in so many ways, as an icon in our sport and the voice of hockey, not just in Toronto, but in our country,” Mr. Keefe told The Associated Press. “A sad day for sure.”

“The hockey world, we lost a legend,” Winnipeg Jets coach Rick Bowness said in an interview with The Associated Press. “All the coaches around the league and all the hockey people, they trusted him. He was a true pro. You could tell him anything and he called a great game.”

Mr. Cole was also an avid curler and skipped twice for Brier teams representing Newfoundland and Labrador in the 1970s.

He also anchored news for Here & Now, a CBC news program in Newfoundland and Labrador, and was the quiz master on the TV show Reach for the Top.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.