Breaking: Maple Leaf Declear head coach Sheldon Keefe will soon be retiring.

Sheldon Keefe, the head coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs, sent his sympathies to the family of veteran hockey announcer Bob Cole, who passed away, on Thursday before he addressed the media.

In addition to honoring him as an icon in our sport and the voice of hockey throughout our nation, not just in Toronto, Keefe added, “I wanted to acknowledge that and pass along our thoughts to his family and someone who influenced the game in so many ways.” It was definitely a depressing day, and our thoughts are with everyone.

Cole died at the age of ninety. The renowned broadcaster reportedly died in the company of his family in his homeland of St. John’s, Newfoundland, according to CBC.

Cole’s final broadcast took place during a Toronto Maple Leafs vs. Montreal Canadiens game in April 2019. Keefe never had the opportunity to meet the great announcer. Cole’s retirement occurred about seven months before Keefe joined the Leafs as head coach, when they would have undoubtedly encountered one other.

“I believe that his voice would reverberate in every hockey memory I would have. One syllable, I believe it’s quite distinctive as Bob Cole,” Keefe continued. “All I know is that a lot of people, including my friends, adore the games that Bob called, the way he called them, and the passion he had.”

Chris Cuthbert, the play-by-play announcer for the Sportsnet Maple Leafs on television, shared a heartfelt remembrance of his time spent collaborating with Cole at CBC.

Keefe was commenting after his team’s Wednesday Game 3 loss to the Boston Bruins and their off-day availability. In the best-of-seven series, the Leafs are behind 2-1.