NBC Sports play-by-play man Mike “Doc” Emrick talked with The Post’s Justin Terranova about the Rangers quiet trade deadline, their playoff potential, and the ceremony the Devils honored him with a week ago. Emrick will be on the call for the Rangers-Bruins game Sunday on NBC.
Q: Do you think the Rangers are better off without Rick Nash?
A: The chemistry on the team has been so good this year that you want to be really careful if you are going to change that around. It would have been a marquee value getting Nash, but they would have been risking the chemistry that’s been so successful this year. So, in the end, I think they did the right thing.
Q: Will the Rangers’ lack of playoff experience hurt them?
A: When you talk to guys who have been through it, they talk about it being a battle of attrition and how the intensity gets jacked up with each round. That’s not something you can just tell someone; they have to experience it first. There is no rule that it has to happen in a progressive pattern. The Rangers could end up looking back and saying losing to Washington [last season] taught us what it takes to win in the playoffs.
Q: Being more removed from it this year, are you excited about the possibility of a Devils-Rangers playoff series?
A: Oh, yes. One of the first games I called for SportsChannel was a playoff game at the Garden between the Devils and the Rangers. I don’t even remember who won. I just remember the atmosphere was so high-pitched. All of those things give you really a hero-villain relationship between those teams and you feel it from the fans when you’re inside the arena. That’s what the players feel and it adds to the rivalry.
Q: What were your emotions like when you were honored by the Devils last week?
A: What made it more amazing is that we aren’t able to get my family together a lot because of my schedule. They were all there. The Devils players were there, which are a part of the second family, and the MSG employees I worked with for 18 years in a row were there. It couldn’t be a more perfect evening.
Q: Were you surprised the Devils would have such a night for you?
A: It was kind of overwhelming in a sense because you don’t see yourself worthy of that because you didn’t play, you didn’t wear a number. It’s not only shocking, but it makes you feel really good about the people that are a part of your life for so many years.