from Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star,
Oh baby. Everything, shortly, will no longer be happening. I’ll tell ya, Harry. He’s going home. He’s going home.
Bob Cole will make the final play-by-play call of his illustrious 50-year career behind the mic for Hockey Night in Canada at Saturday’s season finale between the Montreal Canadiens and Toronto Maple Leafs....
The Star asked a number of broadcasters what they think of when they think of Bob Cole:
GORD MILLER TSN
“He was so generous and kind to me when I was starting out. He was unbelievable. We all stand in his shadow. Everyone who has ever done this stands in his shadow. There’s no one like him. The cadence, the voice, the minimalist approach is fantastic. Only he can do it. He was a guy that was always giving you advice and pumping you up and a pat on the back, which meant a lot. I remember doing a game in the early 1990s and seeing Bob two days later, and him saying: ‘Great job.’ It was like God himself had inscribed it on a tablet. The thing about Bob is his passion. He loves his job. I don’t remember Bob ever saying: ‘I don’t want to do this today.’
Favourite call: “I remember the Oilers winning the Cup in 1984 and Bob saying: ‘There’s a new bunch on the block.’”
KEN DANIELS Fox Sports Detroit
“I was hosting Hockey Night in Canada, in Anaheim, and I got out of the cab with Bob and I’ve got my briefcase and I’m doing the Ron MacLean thing and I said to Bob: ‘Did you leave anything in the cab?’ He points to his head and says: ‘It’s all up here, mister.’ I grew up listening to Bob in the 1970s and wanted to do this since the age of 8. It’s pretty cool to have worked with him, and he’s been nothing but very generous with his time for me.”
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