After I wrote Friday about CBC Sports head Scott Moore’s praise for the long-time hockey play-by-play announcer and plans to bring him back next year, several readers expressed their belief that praise for Cole was long overdue.

One called his work “magic.”

On the other hand, several wondered if Moore was either deaf, blind or suffering from some cognitive disorder to claim that Cole had “added value” to CBC’s playoff coverage.

Admittedly, Bob doesn’t always get it right, but even his harshest critics would have to admit that his work this spring has been superb. He’s been working the Montreal-Pittsburgh showdown and anyone listening to his calls of the final periods Thursday and Saturday could see that the 76-year-old announcer still has it.

Nobody can rise to the occasion better than Cole and nobody can enhance an exciting game the way he can.

“He’s got the perfect hockey voice and nobody can do the ups and downs of the game like him,” says Ralph Mellanby.

Admittedly, Mellanby is the guy who hired Cole, but as anyone who has read Mellanby’s books knows he wouldn’t say that just to cover his behind.

In fact, Mellanby offers that Cole was at his best last season after what appeared to be a long, slow decline.

“He had a bit of a down period for a few years, but he’s come back really strong,” Mellanby says.

Those who have winced at Cole’s misidentifying players, confusion at penalty calls and failure to keep up with the play in recent years know what he’s talking about. Though Cole won’t discuss the issue, the fact is he was having some serious health problems that affected his vision.

Those are now behind him and it shows.

Yes, he still gets things wrong.

On Thursday, he told viewers that a pass had hit a linesman. Replays showed it went between his legs.

On Saturday, he didn’t (or couldn’t) identify the Pittsburgh player leading a two-on-one break late in the game nor did he name the Montreal defenceman who broke up the play.

But he’s not the only play-by-play man who gets a little lost at times. He is, however, the only one who can transmit the game’s ebbs and flows to the viewer so well.

When Montreal’s Jaroslav Halak made a great save Thursday, no one but Cole could have punctuated it as effectively with a simple but affirmative, “Gloved by Halak.”

Nothing flowery, but Cole’s inflection alone did the job.

It seems fitting that a year after being bounced from the Stanley Cup final for the first time in 27 years, Cole is now working the CBC’s marquee series.