Broadcasting Legend Passes

Hockey broadcasters. The men and wo-men who give life to the fastest, and coolest, game on Earth. Everybody has a few they remember for their calls and how they make the game what it was. One of those men was Mike Lange, the longtime voice of the Pittsburgh Penguins. He passed away last night at the age of 76.

IT'S A HOCKEY NIGHT IN PITTSBURGH!

That was one of Mike's catchphrases that he used to open up every single Penguins broadcast. He used so many during his career, too many to list here. That was part of Mike charm it made every broadcast must listen. Mike became the king of the catchphrase around the sport, and quite a few others have followed his lead.

Mike helped put the Penguins on the map with his style and energy night in and night out. He was the voice of the team for 46 years, starting in 1976 and retiring in 2021. From 1976 to 2006 he was the TV voice of the team and never missed a broadcast. At the end of the 2006 season, the Pens moved in a different direction and moved Mike from TV to radio. Still he kept right on going along, bringing the same style and energy over to the radio side of things.

It's been hard to imagine to imagine a Penguins broadcast without Mike on the call. Even as an Islanders fan, he made me want to tune into Penguins broadcasts just to hear what he was going to say next. He was a big reason why I wanted to get into the business of being a hockey broadcaster. Thanks for everything Mike.

Ladies and Gentleman, Elvis has just left the building!