Eight-time Emmy Award-winning play-by-play announcer Mike "Doc" Emrick announced his retirement on Monday, leaving many hockey fans, including myself, very, very sad.
Known mostly for his picture-painting NHL play-by-play which never misses a beat, and if typed out, reads like a novel, "Doc" owes his nickname to the Doctorate in communication he earned from Bowling Green State in 1976. And let me tell you, his education shines bright in his work (some highlights below).
Let me put it this way: the guy writes live the fastest and most unpredictable sport on the air, and he does it better than many people could do if they had a week to prepare the work. In fact, if Mike Emrick just spoke into a microphone this little article I'm writing here, you betcha, it would be better than anything I could come up with.
When Emrick is on the mic, you can literally sit in another room, away from your TV, and still know what's going on in the game. This is striking because most people can't even follow the puck WHEN THEY ARE WATCHING THE GAME. Emrick has been outstanding.
Among his accomplishments during his 47-year career are eight (yes, eight) Emmys, the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award, the Lester Patrick Trophy, the Vin Scully Lifetime Achievement Award in Sports Broadcasting, and the National Cable ACEAward. Emrick was also the first-ever broadcaster inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame.
From NBC Sports:
[Emrick] has called more than 3,750 hockey games in his broadcast career...including:
- the most-watched NHL game on record (Game 7 of the 2019 Stanley Cup Final)
- the most-watched Stanley Cup Final on record (2013 Blackhawks-Bruins)
- the most-watched hockey game in last 40 years (2010 Vancouver Olympics Men's Gold Medal Final – USA vs. Canada)
- the most-watched NHL regular-season game on record (2011 NHL Winter Classic)
And here are some links:
Here's a full-game highlight which will give you a better idea of the way Emrick keeps up with the game (also, the author of this article may have been extremely happy with the result of this game):
We'll miss you Doc!
