Many Caps fans watching television have known just one man as the voice of the team: Joe Beninati. Over the past decade, Beninati has won countless Emmys for his play-by-play of hockey games. On Friday, he received an even higher honor. Beninati was named D.C. Sportscaster of the Year by the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.

Joe Beninati, @CSNMA's #Caps announcer, has been named D.C. Sportscaster of the Year by @NSSASportsMedia. #CapitalsTalk — Brian Potter (@BrPott) January 9, 2015

“I was notified of winning the D.C. Sportscaster of the Year Award last week, and I felt truly honored,” Beninati said in an email to RMNB. “I am a co-recipient with Bob Carpenter, whose baseball broadcasts are always first-class.”

“I am very flattered by this award,” Beninati continued. “The selection is made through a vote of our broadcasting peers. It is especially rewarding for me to be shown that type of respect. I like to think that, right now, I am heading into the best broadcasting years of my career, and locally that means great times are ahead with the Capitals on Comcast SportsNet.”

This is the first time Beninati has won the award. Sportscaster of the Year is not typically an honor that a play-by-play man receives. Past winners include sports anchor greats like Warner Wolf, Glenn Brenner, and Frank Herzog.

More recent winners also include CSN sports journalist Chick Hernandez and former NBC 4 anchor Lindsay Czarniak who now works for ESPN.

The National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association has a full list of D.C. award winners.

For years, Beninati was the nation’s number-two guy for hockey, calling games on Versus throughout the regular season and all the way through the Conference Finals of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Following a reshuffling at NBC Sports in early 2011, we’ve had Beninati all to ourselves, and we’re acutely aware how lucky we are to have him. Beninati is a world-class talent.

“I obviously want to be back at the national level in this sport,” Beninati said recently to Sport Business Daily’s John Ourand. “It was a personal disappointment. Hockey is one of the great loves of my life. To have had the opportunity for six years there to do it at the national level, to be slotted right behind Mike Emrick, I was tremendously proud of that and I only wanted to get better with it. That opportunity wasn’t given to me, and I will try my darndest to get back into the mix, but we’ll see how that turns out. I’m grateful for the time that I had and I sure hope that I get [another opportunity].”