Mike 'Doc' Emrick retiring from NHL broadcasting career

We knew this would be coming at some point, but many hoped Mike "Doc" Emrick would call NHL games for at least one more season after the coronavirus pandemic upended the 2019-20 campaign. 

According to an announcement made by NBC Sports obtained by Phil Mushnick of the New York Post, Emrick is retiring from NHL broadcasting on Monday. 

“I hope I can handle retirement OK,” he said Sunday night, “especially since I’ve never done it before. 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. Now, into my golden years, this just seemed to be the time that was right.

“Plus, I’ve now accumulated enough frequent-flyer miles — to not go anywhere.”

Given his age and history with cancer, Emrick chose to call the Stanley Cup Playoffs from his home in Michigan. He called the Stanley Cup Final between the Tampa Bay Lightning and Dallas Stars from a home studio, which NBC prepared for him. 

Emrick's time on the air was legendary -- he called hockey for 47 years, which accounts for more than 3,750 games. 

Before working for NBC, Emrick rose the ranks, calling games for the Hershey Bears, Maine Mariners, Philadelphia Flyers, New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers on radio. He then worked for ESPN and CBS before signing on with NBC.

He won't be easy to replace, and now NBC has a big hole to fill for the upcoming season. The network previously had Kenny Albert, Gord Miller, John Forslund and Brendan Burke do some play-by-play in the past, but none can compare to Emrick.