News Article: Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick retiring from legendary NHL broadcasting career
- Thread starter RangersFan1994
- Start date
A wonderful guy very passionate great for the sport and I couldn’t stand to listen to him. I wish him well though. But there are far better guys that do the job including our own sam Rosen and Kenny Albert and even Brendan Burke
motopanekeku
abnormally high
- Aug 23, 2009
- 509
- 282
Now I will never hear words like "waffleboarded" and "squibbed" ever again...
motopanekeku
abnormally high
- Aug 23, 2009
- 509
- 282
rip:
Driiive!!!
Across the net mouth wide!
And it would not go!!
Driiive!!!
Across the net mouth wide!
And it would not go!!
Rongomania
Registered User
About damn time, I hated his commentary, everything about it was awful.
TheTimTamSlammerMan
Registered User
Finally! Good guy, but will never understand how a guy with his voice and ridiculous vocabulary can be so popular. He was nauseating to listen to.
It's about time.
The funny thing is when he first started broadcasting games, he was pretty good. He always had a high voice, but the screeching really didn't start until he became the Devils full time play by play guy for the second time in the 90s.
The wordsmithing and nerdiness was kind of cute and interesting when it first started. It really had become quite annoying over the last ten to fifteen years. Even got more annoying as his voice got higher and higher.
Hopefully this will be the break for John Forslund. Since the cheap-ass joke of a franchise he gave nearly 30 years to decided to treat him like a pile of dog feces, hopefully, he gets the full-time NBC gig.
The funny thing is when he first started broadcasting games, he was pretty good. He always had a high voice, but the screeching really didn't start until he became the Devils full time play by play guy for the second time in the 90s.
The wordsmithing and nerdiness was kind of cute and interesting when it first started. It really had become quite annoying over the last ten to fifteen years. Even got more annoying as his voice got higher and higher.
Hopefully this will be the break for John Forslund. Since the cheap-ass joke of a franchise he gave nearly 30 years to decided to treat him like a pile of dog feces, hopefully, he gets the full-time NBC gig.
Good man but he sucked as a play by play guy. He tried to manufacture every game into being exciting and didn't call them as they were. He would scream big drive when a guy shot the puck from 50 feet out making it seem like he was 10 feet out. He couldn't call the plays like they were. If it's a boring shot from way out call it like that.
SingnBluesOnBroadway
Retired
Had the opportunity to work with him for a business partnership. He was affable, approachable and willing to talk hockey- even with a Ranger fan. A true gentleman.
will1066
Fonz Drury
- Oct 12, 2008
- 44,061
- 60,322
Hope it's an obedient change of lifestyle in retirement for him. There's nothing in life that he can't pitchfork if he sets his mind to it.
I bid him adieu and wish him well.
I bid him adieu and wish him well.
- Sep 1, 2010
- 9,800
- 7,671
I enjoy his work, you are kept current on who is doing what, and I was fine with him using colorful atypical words to describe the play. Why should they all sound the same?
Can't believe i am writing this here after just responding to the Brooks thread.
I don't understand the need, of some armchair fans/listeners/readers, to tear into the commentators and writers they don't like. Not being to your taste is not a sin or a crime.
These guys have dedicated their lives to bringing the game to the wider public.
As a deep fan of USA'a most-overlooked major sport, I just say thank you
Can't believe i am writing this here after just responding to the Brooks thread.
I don't understand the need, of some armchair fans/listeners/readers, to tear into the commentators and writers they don't like. Not being to your taste is not a sin or a crime.
These guys have dedicated their lives to bringing the game to the wider public.
As a deep fan of USA'a most-overlooked major sport, I just say thank you
mas0764
Registered User
- Jul 16, 2005
- 13,828
- 11,186
Thoughts: I will always remember his call on Stepan’s series winning goal against Washington (though it would have meant infinitely more had the Rangers gone on to win that Cup, which they should have).
But, I always found him far inferior to Gary Thorne as the National voice of hockey. I’m sure I have heard many times over that Thorne was technically inferior and prone to mistakes and mispronunciation but that guy simply had the cadence and the tone and his important goal calls were unmatched in excitement. Even if wrong, “1940.... is history!” just had such forceful punctuation and pop to it. And “Do you believe it? Do.... you.... believe it? He said we will win game 6, he has just picked up the hat trick!”
So many other gems too.... “off the floor, on the board,” Steve Yzerman GWG, Raymond Bourque after 22 years, etc. No one could yell “scoooore” like him.
Emrick I always found too high pitched and nasally to rise to the same level, but that being said, I will admit that his peers are far worse than him even. Rosen is excellent but I don’t want him (ever) taken away from full time Rangers calls, and on top of that he’s too old to take the job at this point, they will want someone with some staying power. But Emrick still managed to make that Rangers run of the mid 2010s memorable.
Suffice to say, I’m mixed on his retirement. I’m excited to see if they can find someone more on par with Thorne; but the realist in me looks around and sees options like Kenny Albert (who is ok but not great) or Forslund who I think is just as annoying as Emrick, and I think the hockey broadcaster options are generally terrible. The sport in general needs an overhaul of announcers and to get away from the corny Canadian routine and get more of a Thorne/Joe Buck/Mike Breen type, someone whose voice alone can inspire excitement and enthusiasm. Frankly I think that is one of the most important thing to the next TV deal: finding a compelling play by play voice.
Best of luck, Doc, but I won’t tremendously miss him unless the networks botch his replacement.
But, I always found him far inferior to Gary Thorne as the National voice of hockey. I’m sure I have heard many times over that Thorne was technically inferior and prone to mistakes and mispronunciation but that guy simply had the cadence and the tone and his important goal calls were unmatched in excitement. Even if wrong, “1940.... is history!” just had such forceful punctuation and pop to it. And “Do you believe it? Do.... you.... believe it? He said we will win game 6, he has just picked up the hat trick!”
So many other gems too.... “off the floor, on the board,” Steve Yzerman GWG, Raymond Bourque after 22 years, etc. No one could yell “scoooore” like him.
Emrick I always found too high pitched and nasally to rise to the same level, but that being said, I will admit that his peers are far worse than him even. Rosen is excellent but I don’t want him (ever) taken away from full time Rangers calls, and on top of that he’s too old to take the job at this point, they will want someone with some staying power. But Emrick still managed to make that Rangers run of the mid 2010s memorable.
Suffice to say, I’m mixed on his retirement. I’m excited to see if they can find someone more on par with Thorne; but the realist in me looks around and sees options like Kenny Albert (who is ok but not great) or Forslund who I think is just as annoying as Emrick, and I think the hockey broadcaster options are generally terrible. The sport in general needs an overhaul of announcers and to get away from the corny Canadian routine and get more of a Thorne/Joe Buck/Mike Breen type, someone whose voice alone can inspire excitement and enthusiasm. Frankly I think that is one of the most important thing to the next TV deal: finding a compelling play by play voice.
Best of luck, Doc, but I won’t tremendously miss him unless the networks botch his replacement.
NYSPORTS
back afta dis. . .
- Jun 17, 2019
- 7,993
- 4,459
Great hockey announcer IMO. Not the best ever but i enjoyed him.
Jim Gordon was by far my favorite and those killing Doc i’m wondering what they think of Sam Rosen.
Jim Gordon was by far my favorite and those killing Doc i’m wondering what they think of Sam Rosen.
will1066
Fonz Drury
- Oct 12, 2008
- 44,061
- 60,322
It wasn't even the nasal, high-pitched voice for me. It was over-calling and over-detailing the PBP when it's front of our eyes. A lot of times, he fell behind by a play or two because he had to finish detailing the previous play. His PBP was great for radio.
eco's bones
Registered User
It's funny for a long time I really hated his voice and I certainly didn't like the Devils. Now I don't mind him and he does come across as a genuinely nice man--so I don't feel like shitting on him and can only wish him good luck. Milbury OTOH always came across as an ass and he can stay away. I've always been a fan of the Albert's. Marv was the best radio play by play guy ever. For my first 10 to 15 years or so I listened to more radio than actually watched and Albert/Messina was the best. I much preferred them as play by play and commentator to Gordon/Chadwick/Esposito even would edge them over Rosen/Davidson.
GoAwayGiannone
Registered User
Thank god. I could never stand him and his ad-libbed squawking and shrieking.
kovazub94
Enigmatic
- Aug 5, 2010
- 12,435
- 8,270
Takes getting used to but I really enjoyed his grand approach and passion for the game! Good luck in retirement, Doc
OrlandK
Registered User
Greatest hockey play by play announcer of all time - no one a close second. And an even better person.
Quite a loss for the sport.
Quite a loss for the sport.
Bluenote13
Believe In Henke
I was never a big fan of 'shovel shot', 'pitchforks the puck' or any.of his other descriptive remarks, but he was one hell of a hockey announcer for a very long time, and probably the best of all our rival teams play by play guys in my lifetime.
NYRFANMANI
Department of Rempe Safety Management
- Jul 20, 2005
- 4,890
- 2,253
"The puck is gathered at center and knifed into the zone. Awkwardly the puck skips and caroms towards the net-minder who waffleboards it into the corner. A battle ensues, won by the defenseman, who swats the puck, eschewing a finessed outlet and settling on squibbing and shoveling the puck to the safety of center ice, where it trickles until collected by a Regina, Saskatchewan native."
Doc always irritated me. Probably because of his time with the Devils. But this still makes me sad.
Doc always irritated me. Probably because of his time with the Devils. But this still makes me sad.
savebyrichter94
CALM LIKE A BOMB
I wish him many wholesome breakfasts in his days to come courtesy of his waffle board and may he always have company to pitchfork the syrup along further to!
WojtekWolski86
Registered User
- Nov 14, 2019
- 2,520
- 3,963
Gary Thorne had far more impactful and rememberal calls that impacted a generation of hockey fans.
Doc will forever go down in the "Verus" era of the NHL being too cheap or prideful to cast real talent that ESPN or Canada has. Now we just need to get rid of Pierre and Milbury and NBC can be palpable.
