Bob Cole’s ability to prepare the stage and call some of the best moments of the hockey brought him fans around the world. Now, those fans can make a part of their legacy.
Some of Cole’s Hockey Memories are at auction at Bartlett Auctions in St. John’s until Tuesday.
“Like any family that loses a loved one, they have to go through the process of going through all the significant life collections of their loved ones. And, you know, it can be a great task if someone had a great life. And my father had a really great life,” said Cole’s daughter, Hilary, CBC News Thursday.
“We knew there were people who would appreciate them, they would like to have them. I wanted to have a piece of hockey history.”
Cole was a legend, transmitting sports through the Airwave waves for five decades. He died in April 2024 at the age of 90.
Its collection covers a wide range of significant sporting articles, including framed images of the events in which school or places it called Games, said Hilary Cole, along with things like press passes, goods and more.
It also includes memories of athletes, such as photos with Doug Gilmour, Vincent Dammpofusse and a pair of used Wayne Gretzky gloves.
Hilary Cole said it is emotional to separate from some of the articles, but the hope of sharing can bring memories of his father with others.
“For me, these are things that were part of their home. And they had more meaning for me when they were at home, and I spent time with them,” he said.
“But I loved seeing him with his friends, because that’s what hockey meant for him,” he said. “There are beautiful photos of him with, you know, maybe Jean Bélenau. Or a photo of him with another player, and those are the things that I know a lot for him.”
The legendary sports family is auctioning some of Bob Cole’s hockey memories in an effort to help people connect with him and keep his memory alive. Heather Gillis of CBC spoke with Cole’s daughter, Hilary, about her father’s passion for the game.
But the auction also includes pieces and passions that a school fan could not know, such as the books he read, films he saw and even a hiding place.
“Everyone could hear how passionate it was about hockey, but he was so passionate that he told a story, I’m not exaggerating, an encounter with a member of the real mafia,” said Hilary Cole with a smile.
“He has all these books in the mafia because he is fascinated by that. He grew up in the 30s and 40s, so some of them are like time and place. He grew up during the war, he had an older brother who went to war. We listened to stories about that, and so he has many war books.”
Cole said his father could have felt strange for interest in his memories, but added that the family is comforted by sharing a part of him with others.
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