Bob Cole: Voice of ‘Hockey Night in Canada’ never considered moving out of St. John’s [Video]

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newfoundlanders remember legendary “Hockey Night in Canada” sportscaster Bob Cole as a national star who proved that someone from the country’s easternmost province could make it big on the mainland, all without moving away.

Cole’s connection to Newfoundland and Labrador, including his home in the provincial capital, was “everything” to him, said Megan Cole, his daughter, in a message Friday.

“Many times through his career he was asked to move for the job, was offered broadcasting opportunities that would have taken him out of Newfoundland,” she wrote. “Never, ever did he entertain this. He never wanted to leave here.”

Bob Hallett, a founding member of Newfoundland folk-rock band Great Big Sea, said he and his band members would often be on the same plane as Cole as they returned to St. John’s from gigs across the country.

“Even though he achieved the highest level of success …