BY KEVIN FREEMAN
Many people who don’t wear skates and carry a stick for a living have been impacted by the NHL lockout.
One of those people is Mike Emrick, NBC’s hockey play-by-play announcer.
Emrick was in Hershey this past week to emcee a pregame ceremony that officially opened the Hershey Bears Hall of Fame.
Emrick was asked about the lockout.
“I’m used to the question but don’t have an answer,” he said. “I wish I did.”
The NHL owners and the players’ association can’t seem to get together on sharing the league’s revenue. More than half of the NHL’s season has been wiped out and if a settlement doesn’t come soon, the season will be canceled, just as it was in 2004-05.
“Some days I’m optimistic and other days I’m not,” he said. “When it started to go to the courts, I figured it was going to take some time. And time is something we don’t have. I’m powerless to do anything about it, so I just sit and wait.”
Emrick hasn’t been completely idle for the last three months. At NBC’s urging, Emrick was in the booth for Skate America back in October. Emrick, though, is not in danger of getting “ice-cast.” He called the action for water polo in the London Olympics.
Emrick eased into the figure skating gig for a couple of reasons. One, he got to watch several events prior to doing the broadcast and two, he had figure skating veteran Scott Hamilton at his side.
“The producers gave me one piece of advice,” Emrick said. “They said when the music starts, stop talking. When the music ends, start talking again.”
In the process of calling the figure skating, Emrick met an ice dancing duo who were students at the University of Michigan. They wanted to perform at the NHL’s Winter Classic at the Big House. That dream died when the NHL canceled the game due to the lockout.
Emrick was impressed with the figure skaters he encountered.
“When you walk down the hallway and all of the skaters are getting focused, it’s kind of like being around 40 goaltenders,” he said. “That’s because they are going to be out there all alone for five long minutes. Built into their preparation is how they will react of they fall. You can see all of that on their faces. I don’t know how they do it. I’m just glad they can.”
Knowing Emrick was somewhat idled by the lockout, the producers from NBC’s Rock Center program came up with the idea to send Emrick to do the play-by-play of a youth hockey game. So off he and camera crew went to Troy, Mich.
“Then they raised the question of gender and they thought a girls’ game would be cool,” Emrick said. “The girls were 12 and under and one of the goaltenders was 9 and in the fourth grade.”
Emrick was surprised to hear about all the things that affect the players. If they don’t do their homework, they won’t come to hockey. Or if they get in a fight with their brother, hockey is out. Sometimes, it works the opposite way.
“One of the girls who plays the xylophone missed her Christmas concert because she had a game,” Emrick said.
The segment that Emrick did with the girls’ hockey game will only be approximately two minutes in length. He said it is expected to air on Thursday, Jan. 3 during the Rock Center program.

BY KEVIN FREEMAN
Many people who don’t wear skates and carry a stick for a living have been impacted by the NHL lockout.
One of those people is Mike Emrick, NBC’s hockey play-by-play announcer.
Emrick was in Hershey this past week to emcee a pregame ceremony that officially opened the Hershey Bears Hall of Fame.
Emrick was asked about the lockout.
“I’m used to the question but don’t have an answer,” he said. “I wish I did.”
The NHL owners and the players’ association can’t seem to get together on sharing the league’s revenue. More than half of the NHL’s season has been wiped out and if a settlement doesn’t come soon, the season will be canceled, just as it was in 2004-05.
“Some days I’m optimistic and other days I’m not,” he said. “When it started to go to the courts, I figured it was going to take some time. And time is something we don’t have. I’m powerless to do anything about it, so I just sit and wait.”
Emrick hasn’t been completely idle for the last three months. At NBC’s urging, Emrick was in the booth for Skate America back in October. Emrick, though, is not in danger of getting “ice-cast.” He called the action for water polo in the London Olympics.
Emrick eased into the figure skating gig for a couple of reasons. One, he got to watch several events prior to doing the broadcast and two, he had figure skating veteran Scott Hamilton at his side.
“The producers gave me one piece of advice,” Emrick said. “They said when the music starts, stop talking. When the music ends, start talking again.”
In the process of calling the figure skating, Emrick met an ice dancing duo who were students at the University of Michigan. They wanted to perform at the NHL’s Winter Classic at the Big House. That dream died when the NHL canceled the game due to the lockout.
Emrick was impressed with the figure skaters he encountered.
“When you walk down the hallway and all of the skaters are getting focused, it’s kind of like being around 40 goaltenders,” he said. “That’s because they are going to be out there all alone for five long minutes. Built into their preparation is how they will react of they fall. You can see all of that on their faces. I don’t know how they do it. I’m just glad they can.”
Knowing Emrick was somewhat idled by the lockout, the producers from NBC’s Rock Center program came up with the idea to send Emrick to do the play-by-play of a youth hockey game. So off he and camera crew went to Troy, Mich.
“Then they raised the question of gender and they thought a girls’ game would be cool,” Emrick said. “The girls were 12 and under and one of the goaltenders was 9 and in the fourth grade.”
Emrick was surprised to hear about all the things that affect the players. If they don’t do their homework, they won’t come to hockey. Or if they get in a fight with their brother, hockey is out. Sometimes, it works the opposite way.
“One of the girls who plays the xylophone missed her Christmas concert because she had a game,” Emrick said.
The segment that Emrick did with the girls’ hockey game will only be approximately two minutes in length. He said it is expected to air on Thursday, Jan. 3 during the Rock Center program.