Doc Emrick Thrilled To Watch 4 Nations Face-Off As A Fan

Doc Emrick is loving the 4 Nations Face-Off.

BOSTON – Mike “Doc” Emrick’s phone rang only once.

He answered by saying, “A famous Charlestown Chief once said: ‘Let ‘em know you’re there.’ That’s what I thought nine seconds into that game.”

Of course, Emrick’s “Slap Shot” movie reference by Paul Newman’s character, Reggie Dunlop, referred to the phenomenal start to the United States-Canada 4 Nations Face-Off game Saturday night at Bell Centre in Montreal. There were three fights in the first nine seconds of the game, and after things settled down, it was still a fantastic game that ended with a 3-1 win by the United States. Emrick, the longtime voice of the hockey world, watched as a fan from his home in Port Huron.

“Well, I didn’t expect that -- never,” he said. “I was shocked it happened once. Then when I saw the second one, and it was an immediate backoff, it was like, ‘Oh, my goodness, they’re going to do it again.’ When J.T. Miller threw his gloves down, (United States) is wanting to make a statement.”

Still, Canada scored first on Connor McDavid’s spectacular goal, but it didn’t hamper USA’s mindset.

“It didn’t pop their balloon, did it? That was a checking exhibition on their part through the night,” Emrick said. “The goaltending was pretty good on the U.S. part, too.”

It wasn’t the first time Doc witnessed such a start. On March 19, 2012, he was calling a game between the New Jersey Devils and New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden when players dropped the gloves only three seconds into the game. The Rangers’ Stu Bickel, Brandon Prust and Mike Rupp went toe-to-toe with the Devils’ Eric Boulton and Bryce Salvador right off the drop.

“Once the puck hit, all sets of gloves on the Devils dropped, and the same thing for the Rangers,” Emrick recalled.

Emrick retired in October 2020 after an incredible career. No one calls a hockey game better than Doc. In fact, many on social media Saturday night wondered how Doc would have called that game.

“It’s been great,” he said of the 4 Nations Face-Off. “I just marvel at how fast the games are and how well played they are, and I don’t envy the guys working the game, I just marvel at how good of a job they do and I’m glad they’re getting a chance to do what I once did, but I’m glad for the competition and it’s a wonderful idea. The bonafide Olympics will be coming next year with more nations involved and that’ll be good, too. It’s been really fun to watch as a fan.”

Doc has enjoyed the overall physicality and competitiveness of every team, and he’s not surprised by how hard these players are competing.

“The thing about these guys is that this was not an All-Star game. It wasn’t going to be 17-14. I just sensed they were going to compete,” he said. “I didn’t know the competition was going to be coincidental majors to start, but I knew they were going to compete. The wonderful thing about the NHL athletes is that you could call a tournament in July and play it in a parking lot somewhere and they would compete hard once they got there because they’re just athletes and they’re wonderful athletes. You know they’re always going to try hard and that’s what we’ve seen in all these games. The games are just wonderful.”

There was always an unwritten rule in the hockey world that certain superstar players were untouchable, or unhittable, especially during a competition like this. That went out the window on Saturday, especially when United States defenseman Charlie McAvoy unloaded four huge hits against McDavid and Sidney Crosby.

“There’s no worry about hitting somebody, and hurting somebody if you hit them hard, they still have one-third of the season still to go,” Emrick said. “This guys think, ‘This is competition and it’s high competition and I’m playing for my country. That guy may be my teammate on Friday, but right now he’s not.’ It’s been exhilarating to watch. I’ve enjoyed it all.”

As Doc finished the conversation, he had one more piece of advice: “Remember, let ‘em know you’re there.”