Komets add Schrock, Emrick to Hall of Fame
‘’(Supplied/Fort Wayne Komets)‘’Two new names have been announced for the Fort Wayne Komets’ Hall of Fame.
According to a team press release, NBC broadcaster Mike “Doc” Emrick and former Komet winger Kaleigh Schrock will be added to the team’s Hall of Fame on March 7th, 2020, ahead of their 7:35 pm game against the Kalamazoo Wings.
Emrick, a native of La Fontaine, Indiana, began his professional broadcasting career in 1973 and is currently the lead announcer for NHL national telecasts on both NBC and NBCSN. Emrick continues to call play-by-play of select NHL games throughout the hockey season. He has worked on telecasts for 31 consecutive Stanley Cup playoffs and is expected to be in the booth for his 22nd NHL Stanley Cup Finals this spring.
Emrick is being honored for his passion for hockey, specifically his fandom of the Fort Wayne Komets, who he grew up listening to on WOWO Radio, eventually being mentored by legendary long-time Komets broadcaster Bob Chase.
“That a Komets fan for 60 seasons (except for four when I was the Port Huron Flags announcer) could be nominated by his icon Bob Chase and that the nomination could be carried forth by the Franke family, who rescued and preserved the Komet franchise, and that I was informed in front of several Komet Hall of Famers I cheered for…..I have no words to finish this sentence,” Emrick said. “March 7 will be a wonderful lifetime memory.”
Schrock, a Fort Wayne native and current coach of the Fort Wayne Spacemen of the USPHL, was a member of the Komets for six consecutive seasons. The right-winger is a two-time Fort Wayne champion, winner of many team awards, and the Komets’ captain his final two seasons. He skated 439 career games with the Komets, scoring 81 goals, 71 assists, 152 points and racking up 854 penalty minutes.
“Kaleigh Schrock symbolized what it meant to play the ‘Komet way’,” Komets General Manager David Franke said. “His hustle, grit and physical play made him a special player on our teams and to our loyal fans. Kaleigh brought it all every night. Schrocky will always have a place in Komet history as he now enters the Komet Hall of Fame.”