from David Shoalts of the Globe and Mail,
As yet another NHL season unfolds, Cole has published his memoirs. Now I’m Catching On (Viking) was written with fellow Rogers employee Stephen Brunt, a former Globe and Mail columnist, who captures Cole’s voice. Don’t make the mistake of thinking this is some sort of swan song. Cole is the kind of guy who thinks Vin Scully took early retirement when he made his final broadcast last month at the age of 89.
“I haven’t thought about retirement. Ever,” Cole said. “It never occurred to me. It’s part of my life. If you took it away from me there would be a void for sure. What would I do?”
Right now, Cole isn’t doing much aside from book interviews and calling games on Hockey Night. He tore the meniscus in his one good knee on Monday (his other knee is a replacement job installed years ago) while he was fishing for Atlantic salmon in Labrador. He is getting around with the help of a cane but expects to be fishing again before too long.
Cole’s life-long passion for fishing is just one of the many aspects of his life, which most people do not know about, revealed in the book. He’s never been one to talk about himself publicly, preferring to fly to his assignment from his native St. John’s on a Friday, call the game on Saturday and fly home on Sunday.
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