On Thursday, the Calgary Flames announced the passing of Peter Maher, who broadcast their games on the radio from the team’s inception in 1980 until his retirement in 2014.

Maher was 79. He remains beloved among multiple generations of Flames fans, many of whom grew up listening to his play-by-play during the team’s runs to the Stanley Cup Final in 1986 and 2004, as well as their only championship win in 1989, and he retained his prominence in the Calgary hockey community throughout his retirement.

Born in Campbellton, New Brunswick, Maher began his radio career in 1977 as the voice of the Toronto Maple Leafs before moving to Calgary in 1980 to become the radio broadcaster for the newly relocated Flames. In total, Maher called 2,954 games over 33 seasons of Flames hockey, working with numerous different colour commentators including Mike Rogers, Doug Barkley, and Peter Loubardias. He finished his radio career with a long stint at CFAC 960 AM, then branded Sportsnet 960 The FAN, which went off the air last month after more than a century of transmission.

Maher always called an entertaining game and frequently made use of two catchphrases: “You can put it in the win column,” after each win; and “Yeah baby!” after any particularly important moments, such as Martin Gelinas’s series-winning goal against the Detroit Red Wings in 2004. He was inducted into the New Brunswick Sports Hall of Fame in 1996, and a decade later, he received the Hockey Hall of Fame’s Foster Hewitt Memorial Award.

Outside of his obligations with the Flames, one of Maher’s most notable career achievements was serving as the national radio commentator for the entire slate of men’s hockey games at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, with thousands of Canadians tuning in to hear him broadcast Sidney Crosby’s “Golden Goal.”

After Derek Wills became the radio voice of the Flames in 2014, the team recognized Maher by renaming the radio broadcast booth at the Scotiabank Saddledome in his honour. Additionally, the Flames subsequently introduced the Peter Maher “Good Guy” Award, presented each year — with Maher in attendance — by the local media group “to the Flames player that best demonstrates the virtues of Peter: Sincerity, Integrity, Dedication and Respect.” (Blake Coleman won the award for the 2025-26 season).

On Thursday, the Flames shared a statement from Maher’s family, which said it is “heartbroken by his passing and grateful for the love, friendship and support he received throughout his life.”

We here at FlamesNation express our deepest condolences to the Maher family and join the rest of the Calgary hockey community in remembering Peter’s tremendous contributions to the game.

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