Peter Maher (born November 11, 1949) is a Canadian retired sportscaster. He was the radio voice of the

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...

from their move to

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

, in

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning System time epoch begins at 00:00 UTC. * January 9 – ...

until his retirement following the

2013–14 NHL season The 2013–14 NHL season was the 97th season of operation (96th season of play) of the National Hockey League (NHL). This season features a realignment of the league's 30 teams from a six to a four division format. The regular season began Octob ...

. He broadcast every Flames game for 33 years on the city's all-sports radio station, CFAC. Maher became known for his catchphrase, "Yeah Baby!" after a significant or important moment, and "You can put it in the win column!" after every Flames win.

Early life

Maher was born in

Campbellton, New Brunswick Campbellton is a city in Restigouche County, New Brunswick, Canada. Situated on the south bank of the Restigouche River opposite Pointe-à-la-Croix, Quebec, Campbellton was officially incorporated in 1889 and achieved city status in 1958. Fores ...

. He began broadcasting at age 14 where he started announcing the line up for the Campbellton softball league. After high school, he had stints in the International Hockey League and North Shore Hockey League.

Career

Maher began his professional broadcasting career in 1977 calling play by play for the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

on the radio. In 1980, he became the first ever radio voice of the

. Over his career he became well known as he called 33 straight seasons. Some of his highlights include the 1986 Stanley Cup run, the 1989 Stanley Cup Championship, and the surprising underdog run to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2004. In November 2006, he was inducted into the NHL

Hockey Hall of Fame , logo = Hockey Hall of Fame Logo.svg , logo_upright = 0.5 , image = Hockey Hall of Fame, Toronto.jpg , caption = The Hall's present location on Yonge Street since 1992 , map_type = , former_name = , established = 1943 , location = 30 Y ...

as a media honoree, the

Foster Hewitt Memorial Award The Foster Hewitt Memorial Award is an annual accolade honoring a member of the ice hockey broadcasting world. It was named for the Canadian hockey radio broadcaster and newspaper journalist Foster Hewitt, and it has been presented every year at a ...

winner. He has been inducted into his hometown, Campbellton Sports Hall of Fame, the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame and the Maritime Sports Hall of Fame. During the

2010 Winter Olympics )'' , nations = 82 , athletes = 2,626 , events = 86 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , opening = February 12, 2010 , closing = February 28, 2010 , opened_by = Governor General Michaëlle Jean , cauldron = Catriona Le May DoanNancy GreeneWayne Gretz ...

, Maher was the voice of the hockey broadcast for

Sportsnet Sportsnet is a Canadian English-language sports specialty channel owned by Rogers Sports & Media. It was established in 1998 as CTV Sportsnet, a joint venture between CTV, Liberty Media, and Rogers Media. CTV parent Bell Globemedia then ...

. He was heard on many radios across Canada as he called Sidney Crosby's iconic "Golden Goal". On April 29, 2014, Maher announced his retirement. He called a total of 2,954 Flames games and 3,162 NHL games. He was honored prior to a Flames game on November 18, 2014, where he had a broadcast booth named after him at the

Scotiabank Saddledome Scotiabank Saddledome is a multi-use indoor arena in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Located in Stampede Park in the southeast end of downtown Calgary, the Saddledome was built in 1983 to replace the Stampede Corral as the home of the Calgary Flames ...

References

Canadian radio sportscasters Calgary Flames announcers 1949 births Living people Foster Hewitt Memorial Award winners National Hockey League broadcasters People from Campbellton, New Brunswick New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame inductees Toronto Maple Leafs announcers {{Canada-icehockey-bio-stub