Bob Cole (sportscaster)
His voice was the soundtrack to Saturday nights in Canada for decades, painting vivid pictures of hockey's fastest moments with warm, excited tones.
1933–2024 (age 91)·Canadian sportscaster·Birthday: June 24·The Silent Generation
Biography
Bob Cole's broadcasting career began in his native Newfoundland, calling local hockey games with a passion that would become his trademark. He joined the CBC in 1969 and, after a famous audition call of a 1972 Summit Series game, became a mainstay on Hockey Night in Canada. For over five decades, Cole's voice narrated the exploits of Gretzky, Lemieux, and generations of NHL stars. His style was not about overpowering analysis but about elevating the moment—his rising "Oh, baby!" for a spectacular save and his breathless delivery during a breakaway became part of the game's fabric in Canada. He called numerous Stanley Cup finals and Olympic gold medal games, his presence assuring viewers they were watching something important. Cole retired in 2019, leaving behind a legacy as the definitive voice of hockey for millions.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Bob was born in 1933, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bob Was Born
The biggest hits of 1933
#1 Movie
King Kong
Best Picture
Cavalcade
Bob's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1933Born
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1938Started school
Kristallnacht and the escalation toward WWII
Gas: $0.20/galHome: $2,850Min wage: $0.25/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Begin the Beguine" — Artie ShawBest Picture: You Can't Take It with You
1946Became a teenager
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1949Could drive
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1951Could vote
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1954Turned 21
Brown v. Board of Education desegregates US schools
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $8,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Little Things Mean a Lot" — Kitty KallenBest Picture: On the Waterfront
1963Turned 30
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1973Turned 40
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1983Turned 50
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1993Turned 60
European Union officially established
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $86,600Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"I Will Always Love You" — Whitney HoustonBest Picture: Schindler's List
2003Turned 70
US invades Iraq; Human Genome Project completed
Gas: $1.59/galHome: $146,000Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"In Da Club" — 50 CentBest Picture: The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
2013Turned 80
Edward Snowden reveals NSA surveillance programs
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $152,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Thrift Shop" — Macklemore & Ryan LewisBest Picture: 12 Years a Slave
2024Died at 91
AI reshapes industries; Paris Olympics
Gas: $3.31/galHome: $372,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Espresso" — Sabrina CarpenterBest Picture: Anora
Key Achievements
- Served as the lead play-by-play announcer for Hockey Night in Canada for over three decades.
- Called ice hockey at eight Olympic Games, including the memorable 2002 gold medal final in Salt Lake City.
- Was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1996, receiving the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award.
- Provided the play-by-play for the famous 1972 Summit Series between Canada and the USSR for his audition tape.
Did You Know?
He was a competitive curler and won the Newfoundland Men's Curling Championship in 1971 and 1975.
His first major national broadcast was for CBC Radio, covering the 1969 moon landing.
He famously used the phrase "Everything is happening!" during frantic moments in a game.
“The fans are on their feet here in Montreal... and right across Canada!”
