With connection fashioned by means of curling, Bob Cole instilled perception in Brad Gushue

Canadian curling champion Brad Gushue first struck up a friendship with Bob Cole some 20 years in the past in the course of the NHL lockout.

The legendary broadcaster — an elite roller himself in his youthful days — would typically watch the up-and-coming skip throw stones on the native membership of their hometown of St. John’s, N.L.

“At instances throughout my profession, I would speak to him about how issues have been going,” Gushue mentioned. “The one factor with Bob, he was at all times very sincere with me and really direct. He gave me some good recommendation.”

The longtime voice of “Hockey Night time in Canada” represented Newfoundland on the nationwide males’s curling championship on two events. Cole remained a eager observer of the Roaring Sport and stayed in contact with Gushue through the years.

“I believe for us in Newfoundland, significantly after I was rising up, any time you noticed somebody doing one thing on a nationwide or worldwide stage, it actually gave you perception that you could possibly go forward and obtain that,” Gushue mentioned. “Whether or not it was in broadcasting, within the arts or in sports activities usually, that perception goes a good distance for an adolescent.”

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‘Lasting impact’

Gushue went on to develop into certainly one of Canada’s most achieved skips. His breakout efficiency got here on the 2006 Turin Video games when he received Olympic gold.

Cole was additionally in Italy on the time to broadcast hockey video games. He made some extent of being on the medal plaza to observe Gushue, Mark Nichols, Russ Howard and Jamie Korab obtain their {hardware}.

“We [noticed] this one man in the course of 10,000 those who have been there to observe the medal ceremony,” Gushue mentioned. “He was on this child blue and crimson jacket — the CBC Winter Olympics jacket — and he was leaping up and down. The nearer we seemed it was like, ‘Oh my God. That is Bob.’

“Positive sufficient we noticed him later that night time and he mentioned he was on the market. For a man like that to take the time, to undergo the effort to be at that ceremony and nestle himself inside all these folks — and to be that enthusiastic about it — it actually had an enduring impact on me.”

Cole, who additionally performed within the Canadian blended curling championships on two events, was inducted into the Newfoundland and Labrador Sports activities Corridor of Fame in 1997.

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The Toronto Maple Leafs honour Bob Cole for his remaining name in Toronto.

Common check-ins

His radio profession started in 1954. Cole referred to as hockey video games in his dwelling province earlier than changing into a nationwide presence on the CBC.

“Seeing him on the most important platform doing Hockey Night time in Canada, doing the Leafs video games and the Canadiens video games, it makes you consider you could obtain one thing a little bit bit greater than typically what you assume you are able to do,” Gushue mentioned.

“[Especially] whenever you’re from a small province and you do not see that many individuals making it on such a giant scale as he did.”

Cole would typically verify in on Gushue’s staff and typically watch the squad in individual. One look got here on the 2017 Brier, a pair days earlier than Gushue received his first nationwide males’s championship in entrance of an adoring dwelling crowd.

“He actually simply wished to let me know that he was behind us and Newfoundland was behind us,” Gushue mentioned of their 15-minute locker-room chat.

The veteran skip and his teammates typically visited Cole at hockey video games through the years and would say hi there to him within the sales space.

“I believe he needs to be remembered as an icon actually,” Gushue mentioned. “A broadcasting legend.”