NBC hockey broadcaster Mike Emrick in May 2019. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
THIS IS EPISODE 441 OF THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST
Mike “Doc” Emrick is a legend in broadcasting circles. He’s currently the play-by-play voice for NBC’s NHL coverage. He began his broadcasting journey in college at Bowling Green in 1971, and is now in his 47th year of broadcasting professional hockey.
A multiple Emmy Award winner, Emrick is known as “America’s voice of hockey.” In December 2011, Emrick became the first member of the media to be inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame, and in December 2019 he was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame.
An avid Pittsburgh Pirates fan, Emrick was able to call his first and only regular-season MLB game in 2016 with Bob Costas on MLB Network.
On this episode of the podcast, we talk to Emrick about his hockey broadcasting journey, being inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame, the importance of prayer, how he prepares for each game he broadcasts, and how he brings his faith into his job as a broadcaster.
Congratulations to Mike "Doc" Emrick on his induction into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame. 🐐👏 pic.twitter.com/ZA4jwjt0Vr
TreVeyon Henderson in February 2026 at Super Bowl LX. (Adam Hunger/AP Content Services for NFL)
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST WITH MATT FORTE, FEATURING TREVEYON HENDERSON
TreVeyon Henderson is a running back with the New England Patriots. He was a second-round draft pick in 2025 and in his rookie season helped New England to an AFC championship and a trip to Super Bowl LX. In college at Ohio State, he led the Buckeyes to a national championship in 2024.
Today on the podcast, TreVeyon joins Matt Forte to talk about his rookie season in the NFL, being bold for Jesus, proclaiming his faith at the Super Bowl, and the importance of keeping Christ at the center of his marriage.
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST WITH MATT FORTE, FEATURING GEREMY DAVIS
Geremy Davis is a former NFL wide receiver who played six seasons with the New York Giants, San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers and Detroit Lions from 2015 to 2020. In college, he was a standout wide receiver at UConn, where he caught a pass in every game he played for the Huskies.
Today on the podcast, Davis joins host Matt Forte for a poignant discussion on identity, football as an idol, trusting in God without fear, and Geremy’s post-playing career endeavors, including his new show, “Golf and the Gospel,” on YouTube.
Left to right: Mark and Angela Rumschik, James and April Reimer, and Victoria and Owen Power after an outreach event in Buffalo. (Photo courtesy of Mark Rumschik)
As the NHL playoffs rage on and the intensity grows with each passing game, hockey fans watch intently, eagerly anticipating which team will hoist Lord Stanley’s Cup skyward in triumph. But while the incredible saves and mesmerizing goals get all of the attention, the true Lord of all is orchestrating something much more powerful.
Each Monday during the season, far away from the public eye, dozens of pro hockey players gather together for mutual growth in Christ and encouragement in faith. These discipleship gatherings occur on Zoom as pro players — competitors all vying for a shot at the Cup — come together as one under the lordship of Christ.
The man behind this NHL discipleship group is Mark Rumschik, an Athletes in Action staff member based in Michigan who has been working with hockey players for more than a decade now. Over the years, he’s been discouraged as he’s seen players, once seemingly enthusiastic in their walk with Christ, drift away in pro hockey.
“There’s a culture out there that pulls guys away,” Rumschik told Sports Spectrum. “Over the past couple years, my heart has just been broken for players that I know want to walk with Jesus but just don’t have other people doing it with them.”
Last summer, as Rumschik contemplated the issue, God sparked in his mind a vision of multiplying discipleship within the hockey world. A couple conversations with former NHL defenseman Nate Prosser later, and the plan was in motion. In partnership with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Pro Athletes Outreach, Rumschik launched the pro hockey discipleship.
The first meeting was held on Oct. 6. Fifty players participated.
“[The discipleship] is designed in a way that we’re gonna help guys with walking with God daily,” Rumschik said. “There are some former players and myself that are investing in the leaders of our group, and the leaders are just mirroring what we’re doing with them to their players that are in their group.”
The leaders of the group are pro hockey players themselves, and they’ve each been called to lead a small group of peers within the larger discipleship meeting. Leaders connect with their groups during the week, do life with them, keep them accountable, provide them with Christian community and always point them toward Christ.
The discipleship movement is more than a Monday morning Zoom call; it’s a community in which players throughout professional hockey can navigate the spiritual challenges of their profession while remaining faithful to Him. They are asked about their personal devotion, their prayer life, their Bible reading, and their spiritual conversations with teammates. Multiplication of disciples has been the result.
“I view my role as I just want to equip these [pro hockey discipleship leaders] and give them the tools to go do the things that God has called them to do,” Rumschik said. “… We’re just a bunch of guys who are coming together, unified under the name of Jesus, trying to reach hockey players and empower and equip them to do the same.
THIS IS THE SPORTS SPECTRUM PODCAST WITH MATT FORTE, FEATURING DANIELLE FORTE
On today’s episode, Matt invites his wife, Danielle Forte, to the show for a special Mother’s Day edition. Danielle shares about raising kids to love Jesus, why she is so passionate about being a mother, her adoption story, and the importance of keeping her identity in Jesus and not her role as a mom or wife.
