Peter Maher, the voice of the Calgary Flames for more than three decades, has passed away. He was 79.
Originally from Campbellton, NB, Maher started his broadcast career at age 14 when he started announcing the lineup for the local softball league, going on to call games for the International Hockey League (IHL) and North Shore Hockey League. His professional career got underway in 1977, calling radio play-by-play for the Toronto Maple Leafs.
He was named the radio voice of the Calgary Flames in 1980, going on to call 33 straight seasons for the team, including the 1989 Stanley Cup championship and 2004 cup run, before retiring following the 2013-14 season.
His trademark expressions included “Yeah, baby!” and “You can put it in the win column!,” which became synonymous with the game for generations of fans.
“From the franchise’s early years in Calgary, through the 1989 Stanley Cup championship, and countless memorable moments that followed, Peter’s unmistakable voice became part of the soundtrack of being a Flames fan,” the hockey club said in a statement acknowledging his passing.
Peter Maher’s call of the Calgary Flames winning the Stanley Cup in 1989 🔥 pic.twitter.com/DgJou8QMQT
— Daily Faceoff Calgary (@dfocalgary) August 13, 2026
Maher’s work outside the Flames included calling the 2005 IIHF World Championship; six NHL All-Star games; four Stanley Cup Finals; and the entire Canadian men’s slate at the 2010 Olympic Winter Games on Sportsnet, including Sidney Crosby’s “Golden Goal.”
He was inducted into the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame in 1996 and named to the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2006 after receiving the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award from the NHL Broadcasters Association that same year.
The broadcast booth at Scotiabank Saddledome was christened the “Peter Maher Radio Broadcast Booth” in November 2014, following his retirement. The Peter Maher Award, chosen by the local media, continues to be presented annually to the Flames player that best demonstrates virtues associated with Maher: sincerity, integrity, dedication and respect.
