Mike “Doc” Emrick retired from his position as an NHL broadcaster on Monday, thus bringing an end to a grandiose 47-year career. This move also marks the end of Emrick’s 15-year run as the lead play-by-play voice for the NHL on NBC.
In a video released by NBC, Emrick made the following statement: “It was 50 years ago this fall, with pen and pad in hand at old Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, I got my first chance to cover the National Hockey League. “Gordie Howe was a Red Wing, Bobby Hull was a Blackhawk, Bobby Orr was a Bruin. … A time like this makes me recall that we have seen a lot together. The biggest crowd ever, 105,000 at Michigan Stadium. A gold medal game that required overtime between the two North American powers in Vancouver.”
NHL Commissioner shared the following thoughts on Emrick following his retirement: “The risk one takes in saying something about Doc Emrick is that you know he could have worded it better himself, on the spur of the moment, with 20,000 fans screaming in his ears (or up to 105,000 in the rain, snow and/or bitter cold), to a national broadcast audience relying on him to get it just right.”
Emrick will continue to contribute to NBC Sports by writing and narrating video essays.
