Years ago I worked as a statistician/font coordinator on several professional hockey broadcasts. My path began with a recommendation by Ian Mendes, who is easily one of the most genuinely good people I have had the pleasure of meeting in this industry. I cannot begin to thank him enough for doing things within his power to help open the door to the Ottawa sports world to me.
I started at the beginning of the 2010-11 season doing regional broadcast work for Senators home games on Sporstnet. Approximately three years later, I received an email from a Hockey Night in Canada rep from the CBC asking if I would be interested in filling a similar role for them.
I jumped at the offer.
It was rare for me to do Hockey Nights’ Senators games. I predominantly spent my Saturdays waking up early, catching a VIA train to Montreal where I would arrive at the Bell Centre before noon.
Responsibilities and roles grew proportionately to the cachet of joining hockey’s preeminent broadcast.
I remember how nervous I was walking into the production trailer for my first game on February 23, 2013. It was a Saturday night game with the Rangers visiting the Habs. In the trailer was Jason, Hockey Night’s statistical/font coordination guru who does the network’s headlining hockey games and events. He was there to give me a crash course on the expectations, the process and working with the iconic Bob Cole.
My first game. Montreal. Bob Cole.
It was a surreal experience.
He forewarned me, Bob has his particularities. Before each game, he was to be delivered a sheet of paper in the booth. On that paper would be two short paragraphs prepared for him to read at the broadcast's opening to introduce viewers to that game’s starting goaltenders. Bob Cole would read stuff I wrote over the air.
The second note on Bob was that he obsessed over shots on goal. Whether it was at the end of a power play or the end of a period before throwing to commercial, Bob needed to know how many shots were recorded. It was important for him to relay this information quickly to the audience. And, when Bob banged on his desk in front of him, that was the cue. On power plays, he would bang his hand on the table and I would respond by holding up the number of fingers corresponding with how many shots the team generated.
He loved shots on goal.
One of my memorable Bob moments during a game was at the Bell Centre. I cannot recall the date or who was playing, but Bob always loved calling games there. He once told me he consulted while the Bell Centre was being built. The Canadiens wanted his insights into how they could develop their press box and booths for the best broadcasting and viewing experiences. He was proud of that rink.
That rink would get him back, however.
One of the wrinkles of the Bell Centre for broadcasting was that its jumbotron would host the overhead on-ice feed of the game and the game’s stats during play. Once a whistle blew, the score and shots on goal counters would disappear as the jumbotron would transition to a feed of whatever camera the Canadiens’ in-game director would cut to.
In this particular instance when the final buzzer of a period alarmed, Bob began his throw to commercial. When he arrived at that customary part where he relayed the shot counts, he relied on the scoreboard. He was mid-sentence reading the shot totals when the stats he needed disappeared off the scoreboard.
Cole’s smooth delivery was thrown for a loop.
I’m paraphrasing what he said, but it was along the lines of:
“At the end of two, the Montreal Canadiens have three goals, the Rangers two. Shots are…"
** shot counter disappears off the scoreboard**
“Bleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeah.”
He fumed about it at the time, but after the game, he laughed about it. For a legendary announcer who strived for perfection and wanted to bring the best experience to the Hockey Night viewers, it represented a rare slip.
Sportsnet signed a 12-year exclusive national television and digital rights deal to broadcast games for the NHL in Canada — acquiring the rights to Hockey Night in Canada. It was a massive contract that saw Rogers take control and immediately pump a ton of money into their own televised broadcasts.
These days, Rogers saves money by simulcasting the American broadcasts on their Sportsnet channels. In 2014, that did not happen. Sportsnet sent their crews to cover the postseason and because of it, I had the chance to work the series between Columbus and Pittsburgh — with Bob Cole and Garry Galley calling the games.
On paper, the series was not an attractive one. The expectation was that the Metropolitan Division-leading Penguins would make quick work of the seven seed.
Sportsnet’s marquee broadcast teams were afforded the more desirable series. With the Canadiens facing the Lightning, Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson were given that series based on the presumed level of national interest.
At the time, we did not think too many Canadians would be tuning in to watch the Penguins and Blue Jackets. Remember, this was early on in Rogers’ television deal, so it could have been perceived as a slight to have Cole work this series.
A funny thing happened, however. Those more intriguing Eastern Conference matchups? They wrapped up quickly. Montreal swept Tampa Bay and Boston smoked the Red Wings in five. The shortness of those series fostered a sense of panic that Rogers may actually send its A-team to replace the broadcasters working our series.
That never happened, but there was a swelling sense of pride and satisfaction in Bob knowing that more Canadians would be tuning into our series.
It was a privilege to spend those two weeks travelling and working with a Canadian icon. His passion for the game was unrivalled and his preparation for a broadcast was paramount. He never wanted to settle for being just good. He wanted to be at his best and to get there, he needed you to be at your best too. There was no better reward than handing him a stat or note that he could work into the broadcast, and have him respond with a smile, a wink or a thumbs up.
Bob helped make you feel part of something and this phenomenon extends to the audience who watched his games.
His voice and calls are synonymous with some of the biggest moments in this sport’s modern history. Whether it was Joe Sakic’s decisive goal in the 2002 Olympics or Kyle Turris’ overtime winner against the Rangers in 2012, Bob Cole enriched the experience of hockey fans across this country.
He will be missed, but never forgotten.
Great inside look at the man, Graeme, and nicely written. You put us in that booth. Didn’t know you had that background. Ian’s helped so many people.