Mike Emrick
Hockey Hall of Fame broadcaster Mike “Doc” Emrick chats with The Post’s Dave Blezow about the 2018 Winter Classic between the Rangers and Sabres at Citi Field (Monday, 1 p.m., NBC).
Q: Does the Winter Classic still hold the same allure for you that the first one did 10 years ago?
A: Going into it, even more so now than it did then because we really didn’t know what we had going into Buffalo until it started developing. We didn’t have any idea how special it was until the (Sabres-Penguins) game unfolded, all the hardships took place in terms of having to run the Zamboni and work on the ice so many times during the game, and then the weather moved in and people started calling each other saying, “Hey, are you seeing what’s going on in Buffalo?”
Q. What are your favorite Winter Classic memories?
A: My three favorite games were Buffalo (2008), Michigan Stadium (2014, Maple Leafs vs. Red Wings) and Fenway Park (2010, Flyers vs. Bruins). It was cold, it snowed either all day or part of the day, and the games wound up taking extra time, (going to) either a shootout or overtime.
Q: Are there unique challenges calling an outdoor game?
A: What the elements can do to your notes and what they can do to you are the main two things about doing a game outdoors. My teeth were chattering in the third period and overtime at Michigan Stadium and that never happened before and it hasn’t happened again — except it may happen at Citi Field. We don’t really have heaters down there because we were told at Michigan Stadium that it might affect the ice. We just bundle up and have hand warmers and put on extra gear. I like it because that’s part of experiencing what the players are going through.
Q: You have a special broadcast location, down by the ice? A: We’re (on a platform) next to the penalty box. It gives you a feeling of being right out in the middle of everything. At Michigan Stadium with 105,000 people there, it was one of those lifetime memories. You have the snow all around you. You had a game that went to a shootout, and you had that awesome (atmosphere) with half the crowd cheering for Toronto and half cheering for Detroit. Q. What do you make of the Rangers almost halfway through the season? A: Beginning Jan. 1, 10 of their next 15 games are going to be away from home. They haven’t played much away from home but the record isn’t too good. Their goaltending has been pretty strong. There are six points that separate the Rangers, Islanders, Carolina, Pittsburgh and Philly, and out of those five teams only two are going to end up with playoff berths. That’s how tight it is.