The Flames confirmed Maher's death on Thursday, and the tributes came fast from every corner of the hockey world. Sportsnet called him "the legendary voice of the Calgary Flames," and TSN Hockey noted the team itself made the announcement.
Maher wasn't just a broadcaster who happened to stick around a long time — he was the Flames' broadcaster, full stop, for over 30 years starting in that inaugural 1980 season after the franchise relocated from Atlanta. The Athletic's NHL desk laid out the scope of it plainly: over 3 decades on the mic, present from the very first year in Calgary.
For a generation of Flames fans, Maher's voice WAS the team, whether or not the games were on TV. He was behind the mic for Calgary's only Stanley Cup, in 1989, and for both of the franchise's other trips to the Final, in 1986 and 2004. His catchphrases — "Yeah, baby!" for the biggest moments and "You can put it in the win column!" after every victory — became as synonymous with Flames hockey as any player who ever wore the jersey. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame's broadcast wing in 2006, winning the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award, the sport's top honor for a play-by-play voice.
Maher retired from the booth in 2014 after calling more than 2,900 games, but he never really left the fold — he stayed a fixture around the organization and the city long after he stopped traveling with the team. That's part of why the reaction hit as hard as it did on Thursday. Longtime NHL insider Frank Seravalli, who covered the league for years and crossed paths with Maher plenty, put it about as simply as it gets.
Sad day. Peter was a prince among men, humble and kind, and he provided one of the best soundtracks to the game that's ever been played.
"Sad day. Peter was a prince among men, humble and kind, and he provided one of the best soundtracks to the game that's ever been played," Seravalli wrote — the kind of line that sums up how broadcasters like Maher get remembered. It's never really about the calls, in the end. It's about being the constant, the voice that was there for the bad seasons and the '89 Cup alike, night after night, for decades.
Daily Faceoff and the rest of the hockey media world picked up the news within the hour of the Flames' announcement, and expect tributes to keep rolling in from the players and executives Maher covered across his tenure. For a franchise that's had its share of quiet years since that lone championship, Peter Maher was one of the few constants — the guy who made sure Calgary always knew when to put it in the win column.