FAUST: Emrick Changed the Broadcasting Game

Let me pull out a thesaurus. Not for verbs or phrases, as the man is known for, but for nouns.
Icon. Legend. Giant. Luminary.
It's hard to talk about Mike Emrick without heaping effusive praise, even though he's one of the humblest men in our profession.

And maybe that's the saddest part of today's news that "Doc" is hanging up the microphone: in a business with the trappings of celebrity, one would be hard-pressed to find someone less interested in his status as one of the preeminent broadcasters of our time.
I met Doc for the first time at the NHL All-Star Game in 2019. It's surreal to go from a fan in such a short period of time, to a "peer" (I'm using that term very loosely), but there I was, calling the All-Star Game on radio. I was quite nervous. I looked up to him, as most likely do in this profession. But true to form, his down-to-earth charm was completely disarming, and upon hearing how much he enjoyed my work, it made my year.

In hockey, when we talk about players who changed how the game was played, some of the names come to mind instantly: Maurice Richard, Bobby Orr, Wayne Gretzky. So too are the broadcasters who shaped not only the craft of play by play, but also shaped the expectations of the audience: Foster Hewitt, Rene Lecavalier, Bob Cole among them, and of course Bob Miller here in LA.
Make no mistake: Doc changed the game, in a broadcast sense. From detailed descriptions to spellbinding storytelling, if there was a close contest, especially in the playoffs, you wanted him on the call.
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Like those great players and legendary broadcasters, Doc inspired the next generation. He inspired by answering e-mails and taking phone calls from aspiring play-by-play voices hoping to glean some wisdom.
He inspired through his dogged work ethic, showing up at the rink before anyone else, talking to more people than anyone else, and curating more stories than anyone else (be it players, coaches, officials or, famously, organists) all with genuine curiosity and lack of ego. And he inspired with his insatiable appetite for the sport, each broadcast delivered with an authentic joy.

Sadly, with a pandemic upon us and travel curtailed, Doc's presence this summer was limited to a home studio for what would be his final season. But with a Stanley Cup Playoffs like no other, would you have wanted anyone else to narrate it?
So with a wistful nod to his Hall of Fame journey, this fellow NHL broadcaster salutes Mike "Doc" Emrick on an incredible life in hockey (which, I might add, is hardly finished) and for his stewardship as the lead voice for generations of hockey fans, players and broadcasters in the United States.