NHL 2K6 pays homage to Bob Cole and Harry Neale
And so do I
Kyle Harden
After enduring the loss of an entire NHL season with relative patience, Canadian hockey fans were given quite a scare when the CBC announced — shortly after the NHL had reached an agreement on a new CBA — they would be locking out their employees.
As “lockout” quickly evolved into a four-letter word in the Canadian language, fans watched as the CBC aired some CFL games without announcers and became alarmed at the prospect of missing a Hockey Night In Canada (HNIC) broadcast for the second year.
However, the tax-paying, hockey-watching Canadian would not ultimately be forced to go on without Bob Cole and Harry Neale, and fortunately, I’m not the only one to recognize the importance of these iconic broadcasters. In the new video game NHL 2K6 for Playstation 2 and X-Box, Cole and Neale were called upon to do the play-by-play.
It marks the first time these two have collaborated on a video game, but for us hardcore fans, we can all agree it’s better late than never. It’s almost somewhat of an oxymoron to have these two legendary, archaic broadcasters take part in something so newfangled and technologically advanced as this game. It’s an awkward fusion of new-school and old-school, but frankly, I cannot wait to hear Cole announce “And a booming slap shot from 17 and a half feet out!” These guys could be announcing a dog show and I would listen.
I vote for them to be cryogenically frozen and preserved for the next 25 years of HNIC. I can’t wait to hear Cole say, “That was a dandy!” (one of the many ‘Cole-isms’ that we know and love), while I play NHL 2K6. I sure hope the creators of the game let Cole and Neale do their thing, because while the two may not always produce a flawless broadcast, anything they lack is more than made up for in originality — something that video games in general are in desperate need of.
This brings us to the bigger picture in terms of honouring one of the great hockey announcers of all time. When we think of the Canadian institution that is Hockey Night In Canada, we think of Ron MacLean and Don Cherry — and rightly so, but Cole truly is the voice of Saturday night. He plays the role of narrator for millions of Canadians in a manner that makes him seem almost omniscient or ageless. He and Neale provide a personal and genuine feel to a broadcast, which is a refreshing change from the manufactured style we may be getting accustomed to elsewhere.
Cole gives us that blue-collar, nostalgic sense of tradition, as his roots are embedded deep in hockey’s past. He has followed in the footsteps of greats such as Foster Hewitt and Danny Gallivan and has carried the torch high. Cole is the perfect link between hockey’s storied history and bright future.
Normally, we honour someone when they are moving towards a conclusion of some sort, but in this case we are celebrating the fact we have the chance to hear one of the best broadcasters of all-time call the games that we sorely missed out on.
