Doc Emrick Built Up an Impressive Net Worth Before His Retirement
While the NHL may not be the most popular sport in North America, it does have a dedicated fan base. Whether you’re a diehard fan or a casual observer, though, you’re probably familiar with Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick; even if you don’t know his name, you’ve probably heard his iconic calls. Come 2021, however, that will be a thing of the past as, on Monday morning, news broke that Doc is retiring.
Although broadcasters may not be able to command the same salaries as players, they’re still able to earn a pretty penny from working in pro sports. Doc Emerick, it seems, is no exception to that; he built up an impressive net worth before riding off into the sunset of retirement.
Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick had a legendary broadcasting career
From a cynical perspective, you could say that the best broadcasters are the ones who keep a low profile; most fans tune into a game to watch the stars, not hear the narrator. Mike ‘Doc’ Emrick, however, was never shy about standing out.
After finishing his education—he studied speech and radio and television before earning a Ph.D. in communications—Doc took a job as a teacher. His work wasn’t confined to the classroom, though; in the 1970s, he broke into broadcast, calling minor league hockey games.
Once his foot was in the door, Doc’s star continued to rise. He became the New Jersey Devils play-by-play man when the franchise moved east to the Garden State; Emrick also spent some time with the Philadelphia Flyers before returning to New Jersey.
During his time as a team broadcaster, though, Doc would also call nationally televised games; that became his full-time job in 2011, when he left the Devils to properly join NBC’s NHL team.
Emerick’s accomplishments, however, aren’t limited to longevity. In addition to calling hockey for every network imaginable, he’s also narrated NFL and NCAA basketball games. Doc also was a founding member of the NHL Pronunciation Guide, has earned a place in plenty of hall of fame, and, if nothing else, has broadened the vocabulary of hockey fans.
Retiring at the end of an impressive career
While professional athletes—and, in rare cases, broadcasters—seem like larger-than-life figures, they’re still human beings once they leave the arena. Doc Emrick reminded us of that reality on Monday morning, when he announced his retirement from professional sports.
“I hope I can handle retirement OK,” Doc told Phil Mushnick of the New York Post, “especially since I’ve never done it before. But I’ve just been extremely lucky for 50 years. And NBC has been so good to me, especially since the pandemic, when I was allowed to work from home in a studio NBC created.”
Emrick, it seems, is signing off in his signature style: classy, with a flourish of wit.
“Now, into my golden years, this just seemed to be the time that was right,” he continued. “Plus, I’ve now accumulated enough frequent-flyer miles — to not go anywhere.”
What is Doc Emrick’s net worth now that he’s retiring?
If you’ve ever listened to Doc Emrick call a hockey game, it’s clear that he’s in it for his love of the sport rather than cold hard cash. At the end of the day, though, he still earned a nice salary.
According to CelebrityNetWorth, Emrick has approximately a $2 million fortune. While that might not seem like a massive sum, especially compared to professional athletes, it’s still a nice nest egg for the 74-year old to retire with.
If nothing else, $2 million could buy a lot of waffle boards, shillelaghs, or any other object that Doc could dream up.
