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JAN/FEB 2021 USAHOCKEYMAGAZINE.COM // 7 PHOTOS BY Getty Images ner become the first media member inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2011. Throughout his career Emrick would track how often he used the same word and chided himself for repeats. That self-evaluation, coupled with an impres- sive vocabulary, kept him atop his pro- fession for more than four decades. One website tabulated that he used 140 different combinations of words— dubbed Doc-isms by fans and media—for moving the puck during a single game. "I was one of those young guys ask- ing announcers for advice, and Lyle Stieg, who was working for the Dayton Gems, told me there are only so many times you can say "dump in" before you're driving people nuts," Emrick said. "That was a good tip." To the contrary, Emrick's love of the game and energetic delivery made him a favorite with hockey fans and fellow broadcasters alike. "If you had a cockroach race in your basement, he'd bring it to life for you," said Miracle on Ice announcer Al Michaels, who counted himself among a legion of admirers. P O R M O R E T H A N 4 0 Y E A R S , M i k e " D o c " E m r i c k h a s b e e n t h e v o i c e o f t h e g a m e f o r many hockey fans. From regular sea- son games to Stanley Cup finals to Olympic shootouts, the legendary broadcaster brought the game to life for millions of viewers. Yet, after calling this year's Stanley C u p fi n a l s f o r t h e 2 2 n d t i m e , t h e 74-year-old is stepping away from the microphone. "In your mid-70s, you realize that you have had a very healthy and long run, except for the cancer scare [in 1991], and you are looking outside and seeing this to be the autumn of your years," Emrick said on a conference call with reporters on Oct. 19. The La Fontaine, Ind., native got his start in print media covering the Pittsburgh Penguins before transi- tioning to the airwaves. While study- ing for his master's degree at Miami University, Emrick would drive the 240 miles round trip from Oxford, Ohio, to attend Fort Wayne Komets games where he would record himself practicing his play-by-play calls. The late Komets owner Colin Lister eventually gave him a season pass, a windfall for a college student. "It was the biggest present I ever got in hockey in my young life," Emrick recalled in a 2017 article in USA Hockey Magazine. "Boy, was I a big shot then!" Several years later he would receive his doctorate in broadcast commu- nications from Bowling Green State University, thus earning his nickname. Over the decades, that education coupled with an unparalleled work ethic helped the six-time Emmy win- Legendary Broadcaster Mike 'Doc' Emrick Steps Away From The Microphone "If you had a cockroach race in your basement, he'd bring it to life for you." F –AL MICHAELS, Miracle on Ice Announcer 3 U S A H O C K E Y N E W S , P E O P L E & P R O G R A M S O F F THE D R AW The Sad Sound Of Silence By Harry Thompson MEDIA