Do you ever wonder why watching a hockey game on television can be so exciting, even though you are nowhere near the action on the ice? Chances are you are getting sucked into the excitement due to the talents of one of the many play by play analysts that call NHL games around the league. Like with any sport, broadcasting is an artform and the best ones can completely change how we watch games. There is a reason why many fans who are at the live game still bring a radio to listen to the play-by-play as they watch the action on the ice. So what is it about an analyst’s voice that can elevate the game and our connection to it? We will always remember certain moments and how they are called. Bobby Orr’s leaping to win the 1970 Stanley Cup, Paul Henderson’s Summit Series winning goal in 1972 against the Russians, or Sidney Crosby’s golden goal at the 2010 Olympics in overtime against the USA. Picture any of these in your head, and chances are you will hear those famous calls along with it.
Play-by-play has evolved so much over the years, and while it used to be just calling plays that were happening on the ice, now it is a whole crew. Now there is a color commentator, a replay team, and sometimes even an analytics team or a social media team as well. Now, the NHL is broadcasted in different languages around the world. The Punjabi Hockey Night in Canada crew is one of the more popular alternatives, and the increasing popularity of hockey amongst the Sikh community is a direct result. When the Seattle Kraken join the league, they will have the first ever full-time Black play by play analyst in Everett Fitzhugh. In the 2020 NHL bubble where there were no fans in the stands, it was the play-by-play callers who kept the energy up and made us feel a part of the game. As much as the game evolves and changes over time, one thing that remains constant is the voices that bring the game into our homes each and every night. Here is a list of five of the best:
Jim Hughson
Perhaps the hockey voice of our generation in Canada as the play-by-play caller for Hockey Night in Canada each and every Saturday night. The Fort St. John, BC native actually began calling games for the Vancouver Canucks back in the mid-90s until 2008, when he made the switch over to Hockey Night in Canada permanently. If there is a big game in the NHL on a national stage, chances are it is Hughson’s voice who will be covering it. What is it about Hughson that makes him so endearing to fans? His calm yet commanding voice never gets too excited and never goes too flat either. Hughson is the consummate professional, capturing five Gemini awards as outstanding sports play by play, and has even won the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award from the Hockey Hall of Fame for outstanding contributions by a hockey broadcaster.
Chris Cuthbert
Another Canadian broadcasting legend who has been the voice for the NHL and CFL over his long and storied career. While Cuthbert is known for many famous calls over the years, he will forever be known for the Golden Goal call when Sidney Crosby beat Ryan Miller in overtime for the Gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympic Winter Games. Cuthbert’s famous voice can go from calm to excited in a split second as he follows along with the action on the ice. Many of us grew up with Cuthbert’s high-pitched exclamations and timely analysis. Cuthbert has also won several Gemini awards as the best play by play sportscaster and has been inducted into the CFL Hall of Fame as well as the Brampton Sports Hall of Fame in his hometown of Brampton, Ontario.
Rick Jeanneret
Known around the NHL as the dynamic play by play voice of the Buffalo Sabres. If Hughson is the calm, collected voice, Jeanneret is the exact opposite of this with flamboyant play calls, especially for fights or big goals, player nicknames, and energetic delivery. He has called every game for the Sabres since 1971, and even returned mid-way through the season after overcoming Stage 3 throat cancer. If you have seen any highlights of the Sabres over the years, chances are you have heard Jeanneret’s voice, one that has become synonymous with the city of Buffalo over the past four decades.
Ron Maclean
Not a play-by-play announcer but he is another voice that Canadians of all ages associate with Hockey Night in Canada, especially the segment Coach’s Corner which Ron Maclean did with controversial hockey personality Don Cherry. Maclean is the calming presence on Hockey Night in Canada, and while he rarely gets into the booth to call the action, Maclean is one of the most well known personalities in NHL media circles.
Mike “Doc” Emrick
Not technically in the booth anymore as the 2019-2020 season was his last. He is the most celebrated and famous American hockey broadcaster perhaps in the history of the game, and has called games for nearly every American cable company. He has won eight Emmys for sports broadcasting and in 2017, Sports Illustrated magazine named him the greatest sportscaster of all time. Emrick is a calm play caller, but is well known for his sense of humor and ability to slip jokes and wordplay in the middle of a game. Emrick is one of five media members to receive the Lester Patrick trophy which celebrates outstanding service to the game of hockey in the United States.
