Hall of Fame announcer Mike "Doc" Emrick announced his retirement on Monday through an NBC release following an illustrious 47-year professional hockey broadcasting career.
The 74-year-old Emrick, one of the most recognized, accomplished and beloved announcers of all time, worked the final 15 years of his his career as the lead announcer for NBC's NHL broadcasts.
Emrick's hockey broadcasting career began in 1973, when he began calling games for the Port Huron Flags of the International Hockey League.
He later served as the New Jersey Devils' television play-by-play voice in two separate stints: From 1983 to '86 and from 1993 to 2011 before moving exclusively to NBC for the final decade of his career.
Emrick was also employed as a play-by-play announcer by ESPN and FOX for their NHL broadcasts. He called the Stanley Cup Final every year from 2006 up until his retirement here in 2020.
As noted in the NBC announcement, Emrick called a total of 22 Stanley Cup Final series in his career, and 45 total playoff Game 7s. He also called six different Winter Olympic Games, including the unforgettable men's hockey gold medal game between Canada and the United States in Vancouver 10 years ago.
Emrick became popular for his loud energy and many iconic catchphrases, including "Oh it wouldn't go!," "Hit the post with the shot," "Scramble for it," "Waffleboarded away," My Goodness" and "What Chaos."
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Emrick, a member of the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame, won the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award in 2008. The award is presented to recognize "members of the radio and television industry who made outstanding contributions to their profession and the game during their career in hockey broadcasting. Selected by the NHL Broadcasters' Association."
His retirement comes one year after legendary CBC hockey announcer Bob Cole announced his retirement.
There will be plenty of options for NBC when it comes to replacing Emrick. John Forslund's contract with the Carolina Hurricanes wasn't renewed this year, so he could move into an expanded role at NBC. Mike Tirico, a Sunday Night Football commentator, began calling NHL games in 2018-19, so it wouldn't be surprising if he was assigned more in 2020-21.
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