After 50 years of covering the NHL, NBC’s legendary play-by-play broadcaster, Mike “Doc” Emrick, announced his retirement from broadcasting on Oct. 19.
Emrick got his start in 1971, when he got the opportunity to write for The Beaver County Times, covering the Pittsburgh Penguins.
He broke into the world of sportscasting in 1973, serving as the radio broadcaster for the International Hockey League’s Port Huron Flags. Emrick then took the same job for the American Hockey League’s Maine Mariners in 1977.
In 1982, Emrick finally broke into the NHL as a sportscaster, getting the opportunity to be the voice of the New Jersey Devils, and then becoming a spot announcer for the Philadelphia Flyers in 1983. In 1986, he began working for the Flyers full-time as both an analyst and play-by-play announcer. He stayed there until 1993, when he went back to New Jersey and once again served as the voice of the Devils until 2011.
Emrick has also done national broadcasting since the mid 1980s. While he is most known for his role as NBC’s lead play-by-play announcer, he has done broadcasting for ABC, CBS, TNT, FOX and ESPN over the years.
Emrick has called a total of 22 Stanley Cup Finals throughout his career, and between NBC, CBS and TNT, he’s called eight Olympic Games in both ice hockey and water polo. By the time of his retirement, Emrick had called over 3,750 professional and Olympic hockey games.
In light of his retirement, many players, both current and former, have taken to Twitter to express their gratitude for everything Emrick gave to the game.
“The first voice that comes to mind when I think of hockey is ‘Doc,’” said Washington Capitals forward T.J. Oshie. “All of the biggest moments of my career were called by Doc and he captured them like no one else could.”
Penguins defenseman Kris Letang, who scored the Cup clinching goal in the 2016 Stanley Cup Final, agreed.
“The biggest moments of my career will live forever with your call,” Letang wrote. “Thank you for the conversations. Thank you for making hockey sound so graceful. Congratulations on a remarkable career..”
While some drew from personal experiences to thank Emrick for his remarkable career, some kept it simple. The New Jersey Devils, who he spent 22 seasons with, said, “Simply, incredible. Enjoy your retirement, Doc.”
“The best in the business. Thank you Doc for doing it well and for so long,” Hall of fame forward Martin St. Louis wrote.
Doc Emrick left a stamp on the NHL that will be hard for any broadcaster to replicate going forward, as he has become so well known that his name is synonymous with the game of hockey. With over 100 different verbs for the terms “shoot” and “pass,” it was a guarantee that every broadcast he did would be different from the last, and his passion and enthusiasm for the game came through in all of its biggest moments.
Emrick dedicated his life to the sport of hockey like no other broadcaster in the world of sports, and that gives him a compelling argument to be the best sportscaster of all time.
For everything you’ve done for the game of hockey and more, we thank you, Doc, and enjoy a well deserved retirement.
Follow Jamie on Twitter @JamieTaris
John laputka • Aug 2, 2021 at 3:42 am
Hi Mr.Emrick
I miss your broadcasting of N.H.L. Games I am going on 64 years old and you just made the NHL more fun to watch I am a N.Y.Rangers Fan but I started to watch Hockey in 1966 and I was only 9 years old and I like how the players poked checked the puck and the game moved up and down the ice from 1968 to 1994 I feel was the best Hockey I have seen Defence my favorate was Bobby Orr the 1st Def to get 100 pts to a season than I started to go to games I got to meet Goldie Howel and.see him with the Hartford Whalers of the N.H L I got to see a person I really like as a hockey player and got to see a playoff game at the Nassau Col with him playing and that was Super Mario and when I see his stats what hit him to me he is like the person that developed that same sickness and that Lou Gehrig and I am a n.y. Yankees fan and one of my previous coworker took me a NY.RANGER Game. And they had Brian leetch night and the n.y.Rangers had around 10 special guests and 1 was Super Mario and he got a great standing O’ than there is the Great one he was Great in all aspects and in 1995 to 2014 Mr.Emrick I worked in a reinsurance company and 1 of my Co Workers was a Hockey Coach where I am sending you this message from S.I.N.Y. And he got me started as a score keeper doing high school Exeb games playoff games and I did Men’s league little kids junior h.s varsity and only 1 college game but S.I had cable more bigger for the local in the late 1990’s and late 2000’s it was a lot of fun but like yourself it was just me if there were 4 or 5 kids in the box I had to let each f them came out of the box plus a whistle in school I was just your ave student with a 83 average but 1 thing I still do today is use my mind better than a calculator and if I go to a supermarket or a place to eat I am right in the ball parks with total maybe 10 cents or 25 cents with the taxes my last thing I been to 31 N.H.L rinks and a game that you did at Yankee Stadium the old rinks were Detroit Chicago Toronto Boston N.J.Phoenix Phi and I have been to.as Canada goes Old Toronto Current Montreal Ottowea Senators and Vancouver I did not get to go to Calagy old or New Edmonton Winnipeg and Quebec but we will see the up coming future anyway Mr.Emrick thank you for taking E-Mail you are missed. In the fans Hockey world all the best of Health Happiness Luck and what I tell all my friends keep busy and active and if Goardie Howie could play a hard game until I believe he was 53 Mr Emrick I have a lot of conference in you take care stay busy and have fun and be safe