Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick has announced he will retire from hockey broadcasting Monday. Emrick and NBC jointly made the announcement.
After 3,750+ Professional and Olympic hockey games, 100 different verbs used to describe a pass or shot, and 22 Stanley Cup Finals, the legendary Mike “Doc” Emrick has announced his retirement from broadcasting.
From hockey fans around the world, we say #ThankYouDoc! pic.twitter.com/Pt27Dp63TW
— #ThankYouDoc (@NHLonNBCSports) October 19, 2020
Doc Emrick Retires form Broadcasting
The 74-year-old has amassed an impressive resume since beginning his play-by-play career in 1973. Doc Emrick has called 3,750 games, including 22 Stanley Cup Finals and six Winter Olympics games. He has won eight Sports Emmys for play-by-play announcing, including seven in a row between 2014-2020. Emrick was awarded the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for contributions to hockey, which includes an induction to the Hockey Hall of Fame. He won the Lester Patrick Award for his contributions to Hockey in the USA. Emrick is also the first media member inducted into the USA Hockey Hall of Fame.
Emrick has worked for ABC, ESPN, Fox, CBS and NBC covering hockey. Since 2005 Emrick has been the voice of the NHL on NBC. Emrick was also the New Jersey Devils play-by-play announcer for 21 years.
Life After Hockey
In an interview Emrick pondered his career and what’s next for him after hockey:
“I hope I can handle retirement okay,” Emrick told the New York Post Sunday, “especially since I’ve never done it before. But I’ve just been extremely lucky for 50 years. And NBC has been so good to me, especially since the pandemic when I was allowed to work from home in a studio NBC created.
Emrick will continue to part of NBC’s coverage of the NHL, he will write and voice video essays for the broadcast. While he is stepping away to enjoy his golden years, Emrick’s love of the sport will never fade.
“Things change over 50 years, but much of what I love is unchanged from then to now and into the years ahead,” Emrick said in a statement. “I still get chills seeing the Stanley Cup. I especially love when the horn sounds, and one team has won and another team hasn’t, all hostility can dissolve into the timeless great display of sportsmanship — the handshake line”.
NBC Moving Forward
With Emrick retiring it leaves a big hole to be filled on the NHL on NBC broadcast. Right now it seems John Forslund seems to have the inside track to replacing Emrick but NBC also has veteran announcer Kenny Albert on their broadcasts. Still, with Emrick being such a mainstay for hockey fans it will be strange hearing whoever replaces him on the broadcasts.
