{"id":179361,"date":"2026-08-23T04:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-23T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/179361\/"},"modified":"2026-08-23T04:00:00","modified_gmt":"2026-08-23T04:00:00","slug":"calgary-gathers-to-honour-remember-longtime-flames-voice-peter-maher","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/canada\/179361\/","title":{"rendered":"Calgary gathers to honour, remember longtime Flames voice Peter Maher"},"content":{"rendered":"

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. <\/p>\n

Family, friends, former players, colleagues and fans filled the memorial service, called \u201cthe final yeah baby\u201d, to pay tribute to the man whose voice defined Flames hockey for more than three decades.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust the nicest man you\u2019d ever want to meet,\u201d one attendee said during the service.<\/p>\n

Former Flames forward Martin Gelinas recalled Maher\u2019s famous call during the team\u2019s 2004 playoff run. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we scored that overtime goal in 2004 and he was so excited and yelling \u2018yeah baby,\u2019 that got us over the hump. That\u2019s the one I\u2019ll remember,\u201d Gelinas says.<\/p>\n

Others spoke about the broadcaster\u2019s generosity off the air. <\/p>\n

\u201cHe would stop and ask me how my day was going,\u201d said Dan Pederson. \u201cI\u2019m thinking \u2018you\u2019ve got a game to broadcast, dude.\u2019 He still took the time to make sure I was alright. He was a special human.\u201d<\/p>\n

Former Flames goaltender Miikka Kiprusoff said Maher was a constant presence around the team. <\/p>\n

\u201cJust a great guy\u2026 he travelled with us all the time. I really liked him. A really great guy is the first thing I think.\u201d<\/p>\n

Maher\u2019s 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\u2019s 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\u2019 2004 run to the final. <\/p>\n

His signature \u201cYeah baby!\u201d became woven into Flames history.<\/p>\n

Maher retired after the 2013\u201314 season.<\/p>\n

His passing was announced by the Flames August 13. <\/a><\/p>\n

His obituary described him as a devoted family man whose warmth and generosity extended far beyond the broadcast booth.<\/p>\n

Friday\u2019s memorial gave Calgarians a chance to say goodbye to the man who never missed a Flames game, not even one.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tCalgary Flames announce Peter Maher’s passing\/ Calgary Flames release <\/p>\n

\t\tKeep it Factual<\/p>\n

Add CityNews Calgary as a trusted source on Google to see more local stories from us.<\/p>\n

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