Long time Fort Wayne Komets broadcaster Bob Chase has passed away at the age of 90.
Bob Chase was truely a legend in the hockey broadcast world and not only was the voice of multiple generations, but also inspired many other sportscasters including NBC’s Doc Emrick. But what makes Chase so inspiring is the fact that he called Komets games essentially right until the end. It was only last year when we published an article about how the then 89 year old Bob Chase was still living his dream and calling hockey.
Total it all up, and Bob Chase spent 63 years calling hockey.
Here is a beautifully produced feature on Chase, voiced by his long time student and protege Doc Emrick. It aired this year for Hockey Day in America on NBC:
Of course the tributes continue to pour in for a man who voiced not only a team, but a town and multiple generations. Local TV station WANE aired this compilation of fan reactions last night:
And of course countless articles and tributes for Bob Chase have come online in the wake of his passing. Here is a small collection:
- NewsSentinel.com covers the passing of a local legend
- NHL.com’s reaction, plus comments from Doc Emrick
In amongst all this, the Komets played last night, hosting Kalamazoo. On Military Appreciation Night, the Komets earned an emotional 6-1 win. Here’s the tribute that the Komets played on their scoreboard for Bob Chase:
