Mike Emrick - Off Mike: How a Kid from Basketball-Crazy Indiana Became Americas NHL Voice

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Foreword by Eddie Olczyk

When Im asked about my favorite moment working alongside Doc Emrick, I think about the time several years back when I heard Doc talking to someone about our relationship.

When Edzo is 66, Doc was saying, I hope he has someone who takes care of him like he takes care of me.

That was a wow moment for me.

I was a U.S. Olympian at 17, played in the NHL at 18, and was a member of the New York Rangers 1994 Stanley Cup championship team. I was elected to the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame in 2012.

But earning the stamp of approval from Doc Emrick ranks among my favorite moments of my hockey career. It was the best compliment I ever received. I feel humbled that Doc sees me that way because people like Doc dont come along very often.

When I think about him as a seven-time Emmy winner, all the accolades that come his way, and the human being he is, I feel honored to share a broadcast booth with him.

I joined Doc as an analyst on NBC at the start of the 200607 NHL season, after his longtime partner John Davidson decided to leave television to become the president of the St. Louis Blues. I tried not to think that I was sitting in Davidsons chair, but it was difficult not to think in those terms. JD is a legendary and respected hockey man. I understood the chemistry they enjoyed and I was aware of how many important games they had done together. It was an intimidating situation.

But immediately Doc made me feel so welcome and comfortable. Doc has an incredible ability to make you feel like you are the most important person in the room.

Thirteen years later we are still together, and our friendship has grown immeasurably. Ive learned to love, trust, and respect Doc as much as anyone Ive met in the game. Hes made me a better person and a much better broadcaster.

Doc is a perfectionist. Nobody prepares like Doc. He is always gathering information, and sometimes you dont even realize thats what he is doing. He may not always use it right away, but it will come out of his mouth at precisely the right time. Whatever hockey fact I might want to know, Doc will always tell me that he will check his notes and get it for you in 20 minutes. When I was a player, Doc asked me what it was like to play in the Silver Stick tournament in Port Huron, Michigan, when I was a youngster. I remember thinking, How did he know that?

What I learned quickly is that Doc has an incredible ability to tell a story without losing track of the game call. You would be surprised at how much is going on when hes telling a story. We are all on headsets and information is coming at us from the broadcasting truck a mile a minute. While Im asking the truck to bring up the replay of Chris Osgoods great save, Doc is telling a story about how Osgood got his first pair of hockey pads from a hardware store where his dad worked.

Not sure my wife would agree, but I think Im a good listener. Thats why Doc and I work well together. We react to each other. I try to react to Doc the same way I would if I was sitting on my couch at home and not wearing a headset. If he makes some reference to Milt Schmidt from the 1954 season, I ask him, What was the crowd like that night when you were there?

I gently jab at him because thats what I would do if we were sitting on the couch at my house.

Thats why Doc is so good. He can tell a story while calling the game, listening to the directors, and interacting with me. Nobody does that the way Doc can.

Another thing is that everyone, including me, Pierre McGuire, NBC executives, and everyone in the truck, instinctively knows when its Docs time. When the game is on the line, when its the closing minutes of a tight game, when his call is all that matters, we all sense that.

When its Docs time, sometimes I may not talk for five or six minutes.

Thats when my phone blows up. Smart-aleck friends will send me a joking text that says, Are you working tonight? or Are you going to say anything? or I hope you arent getting paid by the word.

But I remain silent. Its not my time. Its Docs time.

Because I have worked with him for so long, I know when he needs to draw a breath or have a second or two and I will interject briefly on a change of possession, but otherwise I stay quiet. The last thing I want to do is kill the buzz or the feel when we are in Docs time.

I respect that Im working with a master craftsman, a man with a PhD in understanding which words viewers need to hear. I know people tune in to hear Docs call of the game. As Ive told him many times, no matter what team you are on, whether its a sports team or broadcast team, you have to accept your role and execute. I accept and love my role working with Doc.

Not every broadcast goes perfect. You are going to make mistakes. It cant be helped in the broadcasting of live sports. You think maybe Ryan OReilly touched it, or maybe it was Patrice Bergeron. Did the puck hit the post? Sometimes you are going to get it wrong.

But when you come into a booth with Doc, theres never any agenda or ego. He is the best in the business. I can tell you that he wants to tell the story, not be the story. Every word that comes out of his mouth is about entertaining and informing our viewers.

Its fun to go to work when you love and enjoy the people you work with. And Doc and I do have some fun, like the time at Detroits Joe Louis Arena when we won the 50-50 raffle while broadcasting the St. Louis Blues vs. Red Wings game.

I jokingly tell people that the only negative of my time with Doc Emrick is that Ive turned him into a 50-50 raffle gambler. Those raffles are always for a good cause, and we take turns paying for the tickets and vow to split the proceeds. Usually we spend $40 or $50 on tickets, maybe a little more if we are feeling frisky. Doc must enjoy it because when he travels to Pittsburgh Pirates spring training games in Florida, he always buys tickets for us and sends me photos of them.

I dont remember how many tickets we bought the night we won in Detroit. But I recall there were about six minutes remaining in a 51 game when the winning number was announced.

I couldnt believe when I looked down and saw the winning number was the first one on our ticket.

Raising my arms in the air and pointing to the ticket, I was able to catch Docs eye. He kept calling the game, never missing a beat, but he gave me a thumbs up to let me know he understood what had happened.

The raffle raised $15,600 as I recall, meaning our take was $7,800.

Obviously, we didnt announce our good fortune on the air, but Doc was clever enough to have some fun with it.

Heres the way I remember our call in the closing minutes of the game: adding to some of the hysteria we were feeling, Doc saw two players battling for the puck along the boards and said, Nothing like winning a 50-50 race!

I think I added, The only thing better is actually winning the 50-50 raffle.

Mike Emrick is one of a kind and I mean that in the most complimentary sense. We are 20 years apart in age, but we are friends. I can talk to him about anything. He is such a caring man.

When I was fighting cancer, he would go into churches and light candles for my recovery. Hed usually light 16 candles because I wore No. 16 when I played. But if I was on my fourth treatment, hed light four candles, or if it was the day of my 12 th treatment, there would be a texted photo of 12 candles.