Finally! An article showing just how bad Cole really is...
Toronto Star TV Sports Columinst Chris Zelkovich writes:
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For about 10 minutes at the end of the Stanley Cup final opener, it was obvious why Bob Cole has been CBC's lead hockey announcer for three decades.
His legendary voice transmitted all of the excitement from Carolina's RBC Center into homes across the country, rising and falling rhythmically with the play the way a perfect musical score builds suspense in a movie.
His staccato call of a great save — "Cam. Ward. Does. It. Again" — was almost poetic in the way it put the perfect exclamation mark on the play.
As his boss, CBC senior executive producer Joel Darling, says, "Take the last 10 minutes of the game Monday and put somebody else's voice on it and it's not the same."
While that's an affirmation of what has made Cole a Canadian broadcasting legend, it was a glimpse of what Cole has been, not what he is. For 10 minutes he was brilliant, but for far too much of the opening two games he was not.
I've never had as much a problem with Cole as many of my readers do. Cole told me once that his goal is to transmit the game's rhythm through the ups and downs of his voice and that has been good enough for me.
But there is no denying that these long seasons are taking their toll on him.
It's not the vapid attempts at analysis, such as telling viewers last night, "There's no score, but they are trying, believe me."
Cole has done that throughout his career.
During the conference final, he told viewers: "Edmonton wants this game, you can tell, that's for sure. Anaheim, well, they want it, too."
I wouldn't be surprised if Cole boomed out one night, "The team that scores the most goals will win, the other will have to try again, yes sir."
It's not even his misidentifying of players, though he's managed to get around that in recent years by saying things like, "The Oilers shoot it in," instead of naming anyone.
But that's always been part of the Cole package, an acceptable trade-off for the wonderful voice, rhythm and impeccable anticipation.
What's not acceptable is the confusion and misinformation that is becoming more and more part of his game. It's like watching an aging slugger flail away at fastballs he used to crush.
Cole seems to have completely forgotten the concept of delayed penalties. After the whistle blew last night when Edmonton touched the puck, Cole told viewers there was a penalty against Carolina.
Sure enough, it was on Edmonton.
Later, he identified a two-on-one Carolina break as a three-on-one.
When the Oilers scored on a freak deflection Monday, Cole was taken by surprise more than the Hurricanes were. He had to rely on analyst Harry Neale to tell him that Ethan Moreau had scored.
After Edmonton's Radek Dvorak stripped the puck from a Carolina player and the whistle blew later in the game, Cole told viewers the play was offside even though Dvorak had crossed the blue line alone. Seconds later, a hooking call against Dvorak was announced.
When Carolina's Andrew Ladd was driven into Edmonton goaltender Dwayne Roloson in the third period Monday, Cole told viewers, "Ladd is nailed and a penalty is going to be called."
Again, he was wrong. There was no penalty.
Darling calls Cole a legend.
"He brings people to the edge of their seats unlike any other broadcaster in the country," Darling says. ``When you go to the arenas, you realize that he's so respected. He is a legend."
I agree. But a real legend knows when it's time to step aside, or at least slow down.
There are few things more painful than watching a great athlete, or great broadcaster, stumble around because there are too many miles on the odometer.
For a man in his 70s, who has had health problems, Cole is calling too many games. With a reduced workload, he might even find a new life.
If not, he can at least step aside before his status as a legend is forever tarnished.
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For about 10 minutes at the end of the Stanley Cup final opener, it was obvious why Bob Cole has been CBC's lead hockey announcer for three decades.
His legendary voice transmitted all of the excitement from Carolina's RBC Center into homes across the country, rising and falling rhythmically with the play the way a perfect musical score builds suspense in a movie.
His staccato call of a great save — "Cam. Ward. Does. It. Again" — was almost poetic in the way it put the perfect exclamation mark on the play.
As his boss, CBC senior executive producer Joel Darling, says, "Take the last 10 minutes of the game Monday and put somebody else's voice on it and it's not the same."
While that's an affirmation of what has made Cole a Canadian broadcasting legend, it was a glimpse of what Cole has been, not what he is. For 10 minutes he was brilliant, but for far too much of the opening two games he was not.
I've never had as much a problem with Cole as many of my readers do. Cole told me once that his goal is to transmit the game's rhythm through the ups and downs of his voice and that has been good enough for me.
But there is no denying that these long seasons are taking their toll on him.
It's not the vapid attempts at analysis, such as telling viewers last night, "There's no score, but they are trying, believe me."
Cole has done that throughout his career.
During the conference final, he told viewers: "Edmonton wants this game, you can tell, that's for sure. Anaheim, well, they want it, too."
I wouldn't be surprised if Cole boomed out one night, "The team that scores the most goals will win, the other will have to try again, yes sir."
It's not even his misidentifying of players, though he's managed to get around that in recent years by saying things like, "The Oilers shoot it in," instead of naming anyone.
But that's always been part of the Cole package, an acceptable trade-off for the wonderful voice, rhythm and impeccable anticipation.
What's not acceptable is the confusion and misinformation that is becoming more and more part of his game. It's like watching an aging slugger flail away at fastballs he used to crush.
Cole seems to have completely forgotten the concept of delayed penalties. After the whistle blew last night when Edmonton touched the puck, Cole told viewers there was a penalty against Carolina.
Sure enough, it was on Edmonton.
Later, he identified a two-on-one Carolina break as a three-on-one.
When the Oilers scored on a freak deflection Monday, Cole was taken by surprise more than the Hurricanes were. He had to rely on analyst Harry Neale to tell him that Ethan Moreau had scored.
After Edmonton's Radek Dvorak stripped the puck from a Carolina player and the whistle blew later in the game, Cole told viewers the play was offside even though Dvorak had crossed the blue line alone. Seconds later, a hooking call against Dvorak was announced.
When Carolina's Andrew Ladd was driven into Edmonton goaltender Dwayne Roloson in the third period Monday, Cole told viewers, "Ladd is nailed and a penalty is going to be called."
Again, he was wrong. There was no penalty.
Darling calls Cole a legend.
"He brings people to the edge of their seats unlike any other broadcaster in the country," Darling says. ``When you go to the arenas, you realize that he's so respected. He is a legend."
I agree. But a real legend knows when it's time to step aside, or at least slow down.
There are few things more painful than watching a great athlete, or great broadcaster, stumble around because there are too many miles on the odometer.
For a man in his 70s, who has had health problems, Cole is calling too many games. With a reduced workload, he might even find a new life.
If not, he can at least step aside before his status as a legend is forever tarnished.
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