The Voices of Hockey: Broadcasters Reflect on the Fastest Game on Earth

Hockey is a game where team rivalries are literally sealed with blood into the ice. No other major sport has fans going into the penalty box to fight the players or players going over the boards to fight the fans. Hockey has been known to see team mascots unwittingly cheat death during pre-game entertainment and players escape death mid-action. From benches lined with more coaches than players by game's end to lifetime-ban-inducing penalties worthy of assault charges, this international sport has seen the most bizarre - and often violent - action a broadcaster could only hope to describe. The Voices of Hockey boasts 65 NHL play-by-play broadcasters, past and present, sharing the game's most pinnacle moments of the past 60 plus years. From the Broad Street Bullies to the Bruise Brothers; the great one to the great eight; from flying octopi, catfish, and plastic rats to National Anthem interrupting shouts, these 65 storytellers encapsulate the greatest moments the only sport deserving of the nickname "the fastest game on earth” has to offer.

Kirk McKnight is a published American author specializing in sports journalism with an emphasis on broadcasting. He has written three books featuring over 130 play-by-play broadcasters, past and present, for both hockey and baseball. McKnight’s other published books include The Voices of Baseball: The Game’s Greatest Broadcasters Reflect on America’s Pastime and Batting Clean: Why Dale Murphy Belongs in Baseball’s Hall of Fame. Currently serving as editor for The Wahkiakum County Eagle, McKnight lives in Cathlamet, Washington, with his wife, Collette and their child, Adaira.

© 2025 Armin Lear Press (Audiobook): 9781963271973

Release date

Audiobook: 10 May 2025