Author: ethan butterfield | contributor

Foreman in the pre-grille days/Den Haag

Because sometimes, he shoots and he scores is just too simple

Hey everyone. So, to kick this right off, recently there was some noise coming out of Lethbridge in the form of a play-by-play announcer. During a hockey game between the Lethbridge Hurricanes and the Medicine Hat Tigers, goaltender Stuart Skinner nabbed an empty netter, which led to the aforementioned announcer breaking all tone as he cried “He scores! Stuart Skinner!” This got me thinking. That was a pretty great call, but what are some of the best calls made in the world of sports? Check em’ out below.

Honorable mentions

Cal Bears vs. Stanford Cardinals – Joe Starkey

Paul Henderson’s Goal – Foster Hewitt

Garrett Hartley’s NFC Title Field Goal – Jim Henderson

5. Mike Keith – “There are no flags on the field, it’s a miracle!”

The lateral pass that shocked the world, not to mention is still a topic of hot debate. What has been deemed ‘The Music City Miracle’ took place in 2000 during an AFC Wild Card showdown between the Tennessee Titans and the Buffalo Bills. The Bills had just kicked off after a successful field goal and the Titans would receive the ball with no time left on the clock. After some dekes and dodges, Kevin Dyson would get the ball and run 75 yards down the sideline for a TD that had the crowd (and announcer) going nuts. Responding to what had just happened, Mike Keith yelled “There are no flags on the field! It’s a miracle! Tennessee has pulled a miracle!” On that day, they certainly were titans.

4. Rick Jeanneret – “Mayday! Mayday! Mayday!”

Batten down the hatches, folks; we’ve got a mayday. In 1993, the Buffalo Sabres were taking on the Boston Bruins in the opening series of the playoffs. Buffalo would end up sweeping the Bruins, but not before a legendary game four call went down. In overtime of game four, left-winger Brad May would work his way into the Boston zone and throw one past Bruins goalie Andy Moog to clinch the series. The air was electric and Rick Jeanneret could feel it as he screamed, “MAYDAY! MAYDAY! MAYDAY!” I guess he felt trouble was on the way in the form of the Sabres.

3. Howard Cosell – “Down Goes Frazier!”

Possibly the most famous announcer on this list, Cosell’s biggest call came during a world heavyweight title fight between George Foreman and Joe Frazier. Foreman would knock Frazier to the ground in the first couple minutes of round one, which made Cosell burst into “Down goes Frazier! Down goes Frazier!” The call would go down in history as one of the most memorable.

2. Russ Hodges – “The Giants Win The Pennant!”

In 1951, The New York Giants went head to head with the Brooklyn Dodgers in the World Series. In what has been called ‘The Shot Heard ‘Round the World”, New York Giants third baseman Bobby Thomson struck gold against pitcher Ralph Branca when he cracked a monumental hit off the bat and into the stands. Radio announcer Russ Hodges was in sheer disbelief when he famously called “THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT! THE GIANTS WIN THE PENNANT! I do not believe it!!” Believe it, ’51 was the year of the giant.

1. Al Michaels – “Do you believe in miracles? Yes!”

What is considered by many to be the perfect call, Al Michaels made history with a quick call that hit all the right notes. It was a state of turmoil between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, with the game of hockey being no exception. What is referred to as the “Miracle on Ice,” brought some of the biggest emotions sports can bring. With the U.S. up four to three, and the final seconds of the game winding down, Al Michaels shared the crowd’s raw emotion and asked, “Do you believe in miracles?!” And answered what everyone was thinking at that very moment, “YES!” Perfection.

So, there you have it. Some of, if not, the best calls in sports history. Now if you excuse me, I’m calling it a night.