The Voices of Hockey

Broadcasters Reflect on the Fastest Game on Earth

Kirk McKnight

Line changes, limited time outs, and pucks traveling 100 miles per hour—hockey is called “the fastest game on Earth” for a reason. Keeping up with this non-stop action, especially for decades on end, takes a special kind of talent. Today’s NHL broadcasters capture the game in arguably the most difficult capacity in the world of sports, giving the fans a guide to the action in a way nobody else could. With careers outlasting the players, coaches, general managers, and, in some cases, the city itself, the NHL’s broadcasters have more than their fair share of stories to tell.

In The Voices of Hockey: Broadcasters Reflect on the Fastest Game on Earth, Kirk McKnighttakes thirty-four of the game’s most gifted play-by-play broadcasters—including nine hall of famers—and shares their many insights, memories, and experiences. These broadcasters have witnessed all-time greats such as Gordie Howe, Bobby Hull, Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Sidney Crosby, and Alexander Ovechkin, making them the ideal voices to pay tribute to the legends of yesterday and the heroes of tomorrow.

The Voices of Hockey brings the reader down to the surface of the ice to experience overtime marathons, record-setting performances, bloodied fights, intense rivalries, and the raising of the Stanley Cup, with details and inside perspectives from some of the most qualified spectators of the game. From Bob Miller’s description of “The Miracle on Manchester” to John Kelly’s childhood recollection of Bobby Orr’s famous “flying goal,” this bookis truly an encapsulation of the NHL over the past fifty years. Generations of hockey fans will enjoy reliving their favorite moments and reading about those they missed in this unique and captivating view of the fastest game on Earth.

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 288 • Trim: 6¼ x 9⅜

978-1-4422-6280-5 • Hardback • September 2016 • $53.00 • (£41.00)

978-1-5381-0756-0 • Paperback • November 2017 • $19.95 • (£14.99)

978-1-4422-6281-2 • eBook • September 2016 • $50.00 • (£38.00)

Subjects: Sports & Recreation / Hockey

The Voices of Hockey

Broadcasters Reflect on the Fastest Game on Earth

Hardback

Paperback

eBook

Summary

Line changes, limited time outs, and pucks traveling 100 miles per hour—hockey is called “the fastest game on Earth” for a reason. Keeping up with this non-stop action, especially for decades on end, takes a special kind of talent. Today’s NHL broadcasters capture the game in arguably the most difficult capacity in the world of sports, giving the fans a guide to the action in a way nobody else could. With careers outlasting the players, coaches, general managers, and, in some cases, the city itself, the NHL’s broadcasters have more than their fair share of stories to tell.

In The Voices of Hockey: Broadcasters Reflect on the Fastest Game on Earth, Kirk McKnighttakes thirty-four of the game’s most gifted play-by-play broadcasters—including nine hall of famers—and shares their many insights, memories, and experiences. These broadcasters have witnessed all-time greats such as Gordie Howe, Bobby Hull, Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Sidney Crosby, and Alexander Ovechkin, making them the ideal voices to pay tribute to the legends of yesterday and the heroes of tomorrow.

The Voices of Hockey brings the reader down to the surface of the ice to experience overtime marathons, record-setting performances, bloodied fights, intense rivalries, and the raising of the Stanley Cup, with details and inside perspectives from some of the most qualified spectators of the game. From Bob Miller’s description of “The Miracle on Manchester” to John Kelly’s childhood recollection of Bobby Orr’s famous “flying goal,” this bookis truly an encapsulation of the NHL over the past fifty years. Generations of hockey fans will enjoy reliving their favorite moments and reading about those they missed in this unique and captivating view of the fastest game on Earth.

Details

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Pages: 288 • Trim: 6¼ x 9⅜

978-1-4422-6280-5 • Hardback • September 2016 • $53.00 • (£41.00)

978-1-5381-0756-0 • Paperback • November 2017 • $19.95 • (£14.99)

978-1-4422-6281-2 • eBook • September 2016 • $50.00 • (£38.00)

Subjects: Sports & Recreation / Hockey

Author

Kirk McKnight is a freelance writer specializing in interview-based sports books ranging from baseball hockey. His work has been published in sports blogs, articles, and travel documentaries. McKnight is the author of The Voices of Baseball: The Game’s Greatest Broadcasters Reflect on America’s Pastime (Rowman & Littlefield, 2015).

Table of Contents

Foreword: Breaking the Ice . . . of Fandom
Introduction: The Other Miracle on Ice

Chapter 1: Anaheim Ducks
Chapter 2: Arizona Coyotes
Chapter 3: Boston Bruins
Chapter 4: Buffalo Sabres
Chapter 5: Calgary Flames
Chapter 6: Carolina Hurricanes
Chapter 7: Chicago Blackhawks
Chapter 8: Colorado Avalanche
Chapter 9: Columbus Blue Jackets
Chapter 10: Dallas Stars
Chapter 11: Detroit Red Wings
Chapter 12: Edmonton Oilers
Chapter 13: Florida Panthers
Chapter 14: Los Angeles Kings
Chapter 15: Minnesota Wild
Chapter 16: Montreal Canadiens
Chapter 17: Nashville Predators
Chapter 18: New Jersey Devils
Chapter 19: New York Islanders
Chapter 20: New York Rangers
Chapter 21: Ottawa Senators
Chapter 22: Philadelphia Flyers
Chapter 23: Pittsburgh Penguins
Chapter 24: San Jose Sharks
Chapter 25: St. Louis Blues
Chapter 26: Tampa Bay Lightning
Chapter 27: Toronto Maple Leafs
Chapter 28: Vancouver Canucks
Chapter 29: Washington Capitals
Chapter 30: Winnipeg Jets/Winnipeg Jets “Version 2.0”
Chapter 31: You Go Away Mad, We’ll Just Go Away
Chapter 32: The Case of Cookie Cutter versus Old School
Chapter 33: A Séance from the Booth
Chapter 34: Living Legends

Epilogue: Winding down the Third Period
Bibliography
Index
About the Author

Reviews

Sportswriter McKnight, who wrote The Voices of Baseball, turns to his other passion, hockey, which he grew up watching during baseball’s off-season, and the broadcasters who cover the NHL in what McKnight shows is 'arguably the most difficult capacity in the world of major sports.' He conducts 53 interviews with 34 broadcasters, divided into chapters by the 30 major hockey teams.... [E]ach chapter offers fascinating insights, such as Vancouver Canucks announcer John Shorthouse’s description of being 'aghast and in disbelief' while watching Boston Bruin Marty McSorley’s infamous 2000 slashing of Canuck Donald Brashear, which Shorthouse calls one of 'the ugliest incidents in NHL history.' McKnight gives an exemplary history of hockey itself and adds excellent chapters on related subjects such as how changes in hockey arenas have affected how the sport is broadcast, and appends a survey of significant announcers from the past whose influence lives on today.
— Publishers Weekly

This compilation of unforgettable stories from 34 professional commentators lets you discover or relive 50 years of some of the greatest moments in NHL history.
— Grand Forks Herald

Kirk McKnight has nailed the hockey play-by-play experience in his book! He has linked the voices of the game through comprehensive interviews, all of which accurately portray those who describe the action of the world’s fastest game on radio and television. Want to know what it’s like to call the first period of your favorite NHL team? Kirk’s excellent read will keep you in the booth all the way through overtime.
— Mike Fornes, former broadcaster, Dallas Stars, Washington Capitals, and Hartford Whalers

The idea of talking to broadcasters gives hockey fans a unique and informative look at some of the great moments on ice. The stories related through the eyes of those who paint the pictures for fans allows us to relish treasured moments in hockey like nobody else. I highly recommend The Voices of Hockey. It’s a must read for die-hard hockey fans and others who enjoy historical moments from the NHL.
— Chris Maathuis, sports director, KLAS- 8 News Now, Las Vegas

The Voices of Hockey

Broadcasters Reflect on the Fastest Game on Earth

Kirk McKnight

The Voices of Hockey

Broadcasters Reflect on the Fastest Game on Earth

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