Retired SportsCaster calls out ESPN's lackluster NHL coverage

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Joshua Deeds
June 15, 2022 (3:43 PM)

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Doc Emrick retired from covering the NHL in Oct of 2020, after being the voice of NBC's NHL coverage, in 2011. Doc covered 3,750 games, in his 47 years as a broadcaster, primarily covering the New Jersey Devils play-by-play before heading to NBC.

"I hope I can handle retirement OK, especially since I've never done it before," Emrick told the New York Post. "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.

He mentioned that while he understands ESPN has a learning curve, for a company of that size, it should be lessened by the fact, that they're a larger corporation, which may be a culture issue too.

ESPN is not the same entity as it was in the 90s and 00's as the same company that used Gary Thorne. Thorne an NHL fan favorite, was also not offered a chance at a reunion, which Emrick wasn't happy with either.

He mentioned while watching in Canada, that he was unhappy that gambling took priority in promotions, during live games. Emrick, states that live games should be about hockey, which is a reasonable take.

In Emrick's hockey calling career he covered 22 Stanley Cups and 45 Game 7s. He previously spent time with ESPN, ABC, Fox and CBS for six Olympic Winter Games.

Emrick was awarded the Hockey Hall of Fame's Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for outstanding contributions to hockey broadcasting in 2008.