The voice of Calgary Flames radio broadcasts for more than 30 years, Peter Maher, has died. He was 79.
After being hired as the play-by-play commentator for Calgary Flames radio broadcasts in 1980, Maher called 33 straight seasons. His hall-of-fame career included the team’s Stanley Cup championship in 1989 and its run to the finals in 2004.
He retired after the 2013-14 NHL season.
Maher was well-known in Calgary for his catchphrases like “Yeah, baby!” and “You can put it in the win column!”
On Thursday, the Flames extended condolences to Maher’s friends, family and fans, noting his voice “became part of the soundtrack of being a Flames fan.”
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“Peter’s legacy extends well beyond the broadcast booth,” the Flames said in a press release.
“He was a passionate ambassador for the Calgary Flames, a devoted member of the community and a person whose warmth, generosity and love for the game touched countless lives.”
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Born and raised in Campbellton, N.B., Maher called Toronto Maple Leafs games for the CKO Radio Network earlier in his career.
When the opportunity came up to call the Flames after the team moved from Atlanta ahead of the 1980-81 season, Maher moved out west to become the official voice of the Flames.
When Maher was interviewed by the CBC in 2018 about the release of his memoir If These Walls Could Talk — Stories from the Calgary Flames’ Ice, Locker Room, and Press Box, he discussed coming to Calgary in 1980 when there was a job opening to call NHL games.
“That’s the best thing that ever happened. The rest is history,” said Maher.
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In Maher’s career, he also called six NHL All-Star games, the 2005 IIHF World Championship, and the Canadian men’s hockey team’s full slate of games at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, which culminated in Sidney Crosby’s iconic “Golden Goal.”
Maher was named to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2006 after receiving the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for outstanding work as an NHL broadcaster.
After his retirement in 2014, the broadcast booth in the Scotiabank Saddledome was named after him.
Maher also lent his name to an annual award that local media in Calgary present to the Flames player that best demonstrates his virtues of sincerity, integrity, dedication and respect.
