Calgarians came together Friday to honour Peter Maher, the legendary radio voice of the Calgary Flames, at a celebration of life held at First Alliance Church.
Family, friends, former players, colleagues and fans filled the memorial service, called “the final yeah baby”, to pay tribute to the man whose voice defined Flames hockey for more than three decades.
Maher, who died at 79, was remembered not only for his trademark calls but for the warmth and kindness he showed to everyone he met.
“Just the nicest man you’d ever want to meet,” one attendee said during the service.
Former Flames forward Martin Gelinas recalled Maher’s famous call during the team’s 2004 playoff run.
“When we scored that overtime goal in 2004 and he was so excited and yelling ‘yeah baby,’ that got us over the hump. That’s the one I’ll remember,” Gelinas says.
Others spoke about the broadcaster’s generosity off the air.
“He would stop and ask me how my day was going,” said Dan Pederson. “I’m thinking ‘you’ve got a game to broadcast, dude.’ He still took the time to make sure I was alright. He was a special human.”
Former Flames goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff said Maher was a constant presence around the team.
“Just a great guy… he travelled with us all the time. I really liked him. A really great guy is the first thing I think.”
Maher’s voice became part of daily life for generations of Flames fans, heard in living rooms, cars and workplaces across Calgary and beyond. He was hired as the team’s first radio announcer in 1980 and went on to call 33 straight seasons and nearly 3,000 games, including the 1989 Stanley Cup championship and the Flames’ 2004 run to the final.
His signature “Yeah baby!” became woven into Flames history.
Maher retired after the 2013–14 season.
His passing was announced by the Flames August 13.
His obituary described him as a devoted family man whose warmth and generosity extended far beyond the broadcast booth.
Friday’s memorial gave Calgarians a chance to say goodbye to the man who never missed a Flames game, not even one.
Calgary Flames announce Peter Maher’s passing/ Calgary Flames release
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