Tips from the Hall of Fame play-by-play man.
Who: Peter Maher
Age: 60
Experience: He has been the play-by-play announcer for the Calgary Flames since 1981; he has called more than 3,000 hockey games in his 40-year career; in 2006, he was inducted into the NHL Hockey Hall of Fame with the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award; he currently blogs and calls Flames games for Calgary’s all-sports radio station FAN 960; he’s never missed a game.
“I never went to broadcast school. Because I got such a young start, I learned on the job.
I used to listen to other broadcasters. There was no book to look at.”
“My mother said, from a young age, I would be a broadcaster. When I was five, I’d lay out my hockey cards and play with my brothers and do the play-by-play. Later, we graduated to table hockey, and I did the same thing there. When I played street hockey with friends, I’d be the goalie. I wasn’t a very good goalie, but I could talk through the game.”
“On radio, you have to paint a picture for people. It’s important to say who has the puck and where it is. I’m a stickler on how the puck is shot — wrist shot, slap shot or backhander, those little things are important. But it’s also impossible to tell people everything that’s going on. You learn to edit the game.”
“The first time I used, ‘Yeah, baby!’ was in Edmonton in 1986. I was driving home after the morning skate and there was a Rod Stewart song playing. In the middle of it, there was a refrain where he yells, ‘Yeah, baby!’ Somehow, it stuck with me. The fans just love it and I know that, when I die, it will probably go on my headstone.”
“From the moment I wake up, my focus is on the game. I go online, read up as much as I can on the league, the other team, then go to the morning skate and do interviews. I have a database on all the players and teams and I put together a cheat sheet for every game with all my notes that I try to memorize.”
“Things I have with me in the booth are my cheat sheet, the Flames media guide, the visiting team’s media guide, a scorebook where I keep all the games of each season, my glasses and cold pills. I also always have a little bottle of vinegar with me. When I have a cold, I take about three sips before the game and then two sips before the third period.”
“I’ve lost my voice before — during a game. For five seconds, I couldn’t talk. My colour man at the time, Doug Barkley [who is now retired] had to take over. Play-by-play is nothing but a team effort.”
“I equate the feeling I get every game to what a rock singer feels like on stage. If I’m not nervous, I’m not ready.”
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