FanHouse Doc Emrick

Sometimes familiar faces turn up in the most peculiar places.

Mike "Doc" Emrick has been behind the play-by-play mic for every game of the Stanley Cup Finals so far. There is no denying that he's the preeminent voice for NBC and the top voice in hockey right now, despite what my personal opinions may be. The guy can call a hockey game. In addition to his national television duties, he also does New Jersey Devils games during the regular season. The guy is an absolute work horse, doing 82+ games every year. Maybe not that much, but it sure seems like it especially if you live in the New York metro area.

So, imagine my surprise when the guy popped up in one of the oddest places yesterday -- the middle of a baseball diamond. The diamond isn't odd in itself but seeing Doc there sure is. But he was at rain soaked PNC Park yesterday throwing out the first pitch prior to the Pittsburgh Pirates game (I've got mad alliteration skillz). There's nothing wrong with a little Stanley Cup cross-promotion. The best part though, in my opinion, is that Doc got to hang out with the Pirate Parrot. I'd say that alone is worth the trip to Pittsburgh. Oh, and calling Stanley Cup Finals games. That ranks up there too.

A while back I told you about a little segment that the Devils broadcast team has started doing during their local telecasts. Color commentator Glenn "Chico" Resch, would samples some food from one of the new food stands ... restaurants ... whatever you want to call them ... from the Devils' new home arena, the Prudential Center.

As it turns out, the thing has apparently caught on and the crew has turned it into a regular bit on home broadcasts. So much so, that they even have made a montage introduction to the segment ('cause we need a montage ... montage!). The whole bit is a little corny, and may only be for those out there that enjoy watching short, former goaltenders eat and make corny jokes with Doc Emrick. But hey, if that's your thing that's cool. I'm not going to judge.

To be honest, the bits aren't that bad. Personally, I'm just amazed at how many different types of food are available at the Prudential Center -- paninis, sushi, and even southern style BBQ sandwiches. It seems like the concourse of the arena is resembles a food court more than it does, you know, an arena.

Maybe we should send Greg Wyshynski back to the Rock for an exclusive FanHouse look at the food? We could even start a new section on FanHouse dedicated to reviewing arena food. Actually ... Nevermind. We'll leave this one to the trained professionals.

If you're interested, you can check out the latest edition of "Chico Eats" at this link. I'm sorry that I can't embed it (YouTube gods are jokes). To watch all seven of the segments, check out YouTube user DevilsTV.

Every day from Monday to Saturday, The Ice Sheet will take a look at the biggest stories in the league that happened on the ice and elsewhere the night before.

(An virtual recreation of an actual conversation that occurred on the morning of Jan. 1, 2008, in a cluttered post-party living room somewhere in Maryland.)

• "What are you putting on now? Not that 'Twilight Zone' marathon again."
• "Nope. A little thing called 'The Winter Classic.' Pittsburgh and Buffalo are playing a hockey game in a football stadium today. It's going to be awesome."
• "Give me the remote, I'll find something to ... wait, WTF? There's, like, 100,000 people there, it's snowing like hell and Bob Costas is standing in front of a hockey rink."
• "I told you it'd be cool. I mean, not as cool as watching Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve..."
• "Actually, Greg, the word is cruel. You've been doing the same Tom Carvel impression every year since Dick Clark came back from the stroke. Hey, who's this Crosby guy they keep showing?"

And with that, a grand experiment began: Using an outdoor game to attempt to sell hockey to a gaggle of 20-something females with a self-confessed puck allergy.

(Coming Up Next: Big Time Hollywood Stars at the Winter Classic, Scandalous and Hilarious Puck Headlines, Tonight's Must-See Games, a Great Little Bud Light Tribute to Hockey and Some Guy Who's Convinced the Winter Classic was Fixed.)

I once interviewed former NHL goalie and current Devils TV commentator Glenn "Chico" Resch in what ended up being close to a three-hour telephone conversation of funny recollections from an old-school soul surveying a new hockey landscape. There's an undeniable charm to the guy; he's one of those local broadcasters whose lack of cynicism and occasional (Devils fans: "Occasional?") state of befuddlement creates a perfect storm for factual goofs and folksy sayings -- or, as they have been defined, "Chicoisms."

A "Chicoism" is "an endearing and often goofy description during live hockey telecasts" or "stating an observation of events while the guys in the truck show differently." Or at least that's how a new T-shirt celebrating the phenomenon describes them. I touched base with the creator of the shirt -- who prefers to go by the moniker "Richer's Ghost" -- and he said he did a mock-up of a "Chicoism" T-shirt to post in a New Jersey Devils forum. When someone asked where they could buy one, he decided to do it for real. A close-up of the list of "Chicoisms" can be found here, but a few of the highlights include:

"Looks like there's going to be a too many men on the ice penalty, or an illegal line change. Oh, my mistake, it's an icing call."

"Owww, Doc. It caught'em right in the pants area."

"...that puck would have been in the net if it hadn't been saved."

Richer's Ghost (I wonder if that's a reference to Stephane's habit of disappearing for stretches of games) said that if the "Chicoism" T-shirt sells he may create a "Doc-ism" shirt in honor of Resch's broadcast partner (and food critic) Mike Emrick or a "Chuck Norris" like tribute to Devils coach Brent Sutter. As Chico might say: "HUBBA HUBBA!"