The Voices of Maine Hockey

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Published by Michael Keeley, Maine Mariners Media Relations and Broadcast Manager


When I get to do my favorite thing: broadcast a sporting event, I try to take a moment during each game and just "soak it all in." I look down from the press box at the different groups of fans, take in the smells of popcorn and hotdogs, and think about the memories that are about to be made. But beyond that, I also like to imagine the past: the history that unfolded between the walls of whatever venue I'm in. The great games that were played on that sheet of ice. The players that played there - many of whom went on to have hall of fame careers. And for me - the voices that shared the press box. The Cross Insurance Arena - once and still known by many as the Cumberland County Civic Center, was the home of a particularly prestigious lineup of play-by-play announcers over the years. Men who moved on to broadcast hockey at its highest levels, broadcasters who can be placed among the best in the business by consensus. We announcers like to talk about "being honored to follow in footsteps," but here in Portland, there's nothing cliché about that statement. 

"The Other Guys"

Before diving in to the "all-stars" of this group, I want to give a nod to those who I won't be writing about in depth. First, Frank Fixaris (left), who rightfully has his name on the press box at the Cross Insurance Arena. Frank provided color commentary for the original Mariners and the Portland Pirates through his time on TV at WGME and the radio airwaves of The Big Jab. Frank could have become known on a national scale, but chose to stay loyal to Maine and become a local legend. Another "forgotten" voice of the Mariners was Scott Wykoff, who held the mic from 1986-1990. I say "forgotten" only because the men before and after him both went on to call NHL games. Wykoff has made a nice career for himself in his own right, currently working for WBAL NewsRadio in Baltimore, and hosting the Navy Football radio network.

The Portland Pirates had five voices in their 23 year run. The longest tenured was Dave Ahlers (1995-2004, pictured on the right), who went on to call games for the University of Nebraska-Omaha, where he still works as the Associate Athletic Director of Communications. He's a Maine native and a University of Maine grad. Dave's stint as the Pirates voice saw the team make the Calder Cup finals in his first season (95-96), where they fell to the Rochester Americans. They would only make it past the first round once in his remaining tenure.

Greg Glynn, Mark Jeanneret and Jeff Mannix all had stints behind the mic as Pirates play-by-play voices as well. Greg and Jeff remain in the area, with Jeff now voicing the men's hockey team at UMaine on the TV side. Mark's last name will be recognized by many with knowledge of the hockey broadcasting world. His father, Rick, is the long-time and legendary voice of the Buffalo Sabres, who were affiliated with the Pirates at the time of Mark's tenure with the team.

Finally, a lesser known voice of the original Mariners was Hal Maas, who held the position for one season between two "bigger name" Mariners announcers. Maas voiced the 1980-81 Mariners, bridging the gap between Doc Emrick and Dale Arnold. Maas still works in radio, in Flint, Michigan.

Mount Rushmore

There are four Maine voices in particular that give the Frank Fixaris Memorial Press Box an impressive lineage: Doc Emrick, Dale Arnold, Joe Beninati, and Tom Caron. All four have gone on to work at the highest level of professional sports, some of them as lead national hockey broadcasters. Let's dive into my "Mount Rushmore" of Maine hockey voices.

Mike "Doc" Emrick

If you're remotely familiar with hockey, chances are you know Doc. Regarded as the gold standard for hockey broadcasting, Emrick has been NBC's leading NHL voice for 15 years. He's also worked for ESPN, broadcast the Olympics, and called other sports like football and basketball at the highest level. Known for his sing-song cadence, vast vocabulary, and excitable calls, Doc is "that hockey announcer" that every sports fan knows - even if not by name. 

Doc was the voice of the New Jersey Devils and the Philadelphia Flyers throughout the 80s, 90s, and 2000s, and that path was paved by his time in Portland. After getting his start in the IHL with the Port Huron Flags, Doc joined the Maine Mariners as they launched their franchise in 1977. He had the thrill of calling back-to-back Calder Cup championship victories in '78 and '79, and spent a third and final season in Maine before his inevitable call-up to the NHL.

Current Mariners off ice official and one of our resident Maine hockey historians, Jim Anderschat, shared some audio with us of Doc calling the 1978 Calder Cup Finals between the Mariners and New Haven Nighthawks. Can you recognize the call of the then 31 year old Emrick? 


Doc has won six Emmy awards for sports broadcasting, the Lester Patrick Award, and the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award. He's in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame and the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame. Many more accolades are sure to follow when Doc finally hangs up the headset, which doesn't seem like it will be any time soon.* Doc Emrick has gone from "Voice of the Mariners" to the "Voice of hockey." It's hard to imagine a greater accomplishment in the field of sports broadcasting.

*ADENDUM: Well, four days after publishing this blog, Doc announced his retirement. This is why I'm not in the prediction business. My personal congratulations go out to Doc on an unbelievable career.

Dale Arnold

After Doc left Maine for NHL glory, and after one season of Hal Maas behind the Mariners' mic, Dale Arnold stepped in with the unenviable task of trying to fill the shoes of a man that everyone knew was destined for greatness. In fact, Dale opens chapter one of his 2018 book, If These Walls Could Talk: Stories from the Boston Bruins Ice, Locker Room, and Press Box, talking about the pressure of following "The Man" - something Arnold did at multiple steps on his career ladder. Nevertheless, he spent five seasons as the the voice of the Mariners from 1981-86. In his book, he details all the things he learned under Emrick's wing - primarily the nuances of preparation (and the impressive system that Doc had in the pre-internet age).

Dale continued to follow Doc, to the New Jersey Devils in 1986. The Devils had taken over the Mariners affiliation as well three seasons prior, and Dale got to call a Calder Cup win of his own in '84. After some time away from hockey working for the New England Patriots in the early 90s, Arnold got the gig with the Boston Bruins, where he called games on radio and TV from 1995 to 2007. He remains involved with the Bruins as their studio host on NESN, co-hosts a popular radio show on WEEI, fills in on Red Sox radio, and has become a household name in the New England sports media market. In fact, he's the only person to have called play-by-play for all four major sports teams in the region (Bruins, Red Sox, Patriots, and Celtics). A true Mainer through and through, Arnold grew up in Brunswick and attended Bowdoin College. He has been kind enough to return to the Cross Insurance Arena each of our first two seasons and join me on air:


Dale's book is highly recommended to anyone with an interest in sports broadcasting, the Boston Bruins, or behind the scenes content of working in hockey. While his task of following Doc was an impossible one, Arnold's success in the immediate footsteps of a legend has to be commended, and worthy of a spot in our Mount Rushmore of Maine voices.

Joe Beninati

If you watched the Stanley Cup playoffs on Versus (now NBCSN) in the mid 2000s, you'll recognize the voice of Joe Beninati. He was the #2 announcer behind Doc in those years, which I remember well as a young teenager, watching our V.P. of Operations Danny Briere playing for my sort-of hometown Buffalo Sabres in their playoff runs of 2006 and 07. Beninati has also worked stints at ESPN and for Westwood One - one of the nation's leading sports radio networks. But Joe is best known for his long tenure as the voice of the Washington Capitals - a role he's held since 1994.

Like Arnold, Beninati is a Bowdoin alumnus - and a lacrosse goaltending legend there. He would enter the Mariners mix soon after Dale left. Joe arrived in 1989 as the assistant to Scott Wykoff, Arnold's successor. By that time, the Mariners were on their third NHL affiliate - the Boston Bruins. As it turned out, Joe was the final voice of the AHL Mariners, as the franchise was relocated to Providence after the 91-92 season. Beninati went with them, and then - to Washington. Beninati's Maine connection, though, would resurface as the AHL affiliate of the Capitals when he arrived in D.C. was none other than the Portland Pirates. Beninati isn't a household name to the casual fan but his rise to the spot just below #1 on the national hockey broadcasting scene and a near 30 year tenure as an NHL voice, makes him a shoo-in for my Mount Rushmore.


Tom Caron

Last but not least is the man behind the mic for the magical first season of the Portland Pirates. Tom Caron got the gig for the 1993-94 "re-launch" of AHL hockey in Portland as the first voice of the Pirates. Like the Mariners before them, this new franchise won it all in year one, capturing the Calder Cup by defeating the Moncton Hawks in six games. Caron joined me on "Quarantime" in June with a 
particularly memorable "off ice" moment from that season:



You can listen to the full episode, here. Caron was born in Lewiston and went to college in Vermont. He made his return to Maine in 1988 to work as a TV anchor for WGME. He transferred over to WPXT (now the CW) and the job with the Pirates. After just two seasons with the Pirates, it was off to the big time at NESN. Caron is still there, and has had a number of duties over the last 15 years, including play-by-play for the Pawtucket Red Sox and Providence Bruins, college basketball and hockey, hosting weekly TV shows, and more. He's settled into his main gig as the lead host of the Red Sox pre and post-game coverage, giving both of NESN's major sports studio hosts (along with Arnold), the claim of one time voices of Portland pro hockey. 

Doc Emrick, Dale Arnold, Joe Beninati, and Tom Caron - my Mount Rushmore of Maine hockey voices. 

Signing Off

The lead television voice of the NHL, the one-time #2 voice, the studio hosts of the Bruins and Red Sox games, the 26-year TV voice of the Washington Capitals. The path to all of these positions have gone directly through the Frank Fixaris Memorial Press Box. While Maine's hockey history is best known for it's championships (and rightfully so), the lineage of broadcasters that once called the Cross Insurance Arena their home is just as impressive. 


As Dale accurately said: you never want to be the guy that follows "the guy." But for me - it's an honor to stand where these guys once stood, and do what I love, as they so obviously did and continue to do at the highest levels. The voices of Maine hockey echo loud and proud, broadcasting their greatness throughout New England, and beyond.

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