Sam Rosen, the play-by-play voice of New York Rangers hockey on MSG Networks for the last 40 years, officially signed off the air on Thursday night calling the regular-season finale for the team. As Igor Shesterkin and Mika Zibanejad led the Rangers to a 4-0 shutout victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning, Rosen received plaudits throughout the contest from colleagues, fans and both organizations.
In fact, the Rangers took the ice for pregame warmups in custom Rosen jerseys with the No. 40 on the back and a patch reading his signature call for power-play goals. As the game concluded, Rosen exclaimed that the win was “a great way to go out,” and he took the time to thank the MSG Networks team and analyst Joe Micheletti, his broadcast partner for the last 19 seasons.
When Rangers public address announcer Joe Tolleson announced the three stars of the game, Micheletti hinted that he was not sure if the Rangers’ netminder would be receiving the top honor. As was the case, Tolleson announced that Rosen had been named the first star of the game, putting him on GardenVision as he saluted the crowd and expressed his gratitude. Throughout the night, the crowd chanted Rosen’s name and players from both teams displayed their respect and appreciation on the ice. Rosen spoke to MSG Networks studio host John Giannone on the postgame show about the significance of being honored throughout the night amid his final game broadcast.
“What a great feeling to know how many people care about what we’ve done, John, as a group and what I’ve done individually, and to feel the warmth and the love and the respect from everyone at every level is just so rewarding to me,” Rosen said. “It’s a great feeling – great, great feeling.”
Throughout the year, teams around the NHL have honored Rosen as he prepared to retire from calling Rangers games on MSG Networks. Moreover, the Rangers honored Rosen with a pregame ceremony from Madison Square Garden last month, during which he was joined by former analysts Phil Esposito and John Davidison. A few weeks later, Rosen reunited with Davidson, his broadcast partner of 20 years, on a TNT Sports national broadcast of a Rangers game against the Philadelphia Flyers. Rosen was also named the recipient of the Lester Patrick Trophy for outstanding service to hockey in the United States earlier in the year, and he is also a previous winner of the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for outstanding contributions as a broadcaster.
“You know how business can be tough, how our profession can be difficult, but I’ve been so lucky to call this my second home for 40 years,” Rosen said. “It couldn’t be any more pleasurable or rewarding for me.”
When asked about his future plans, Rosen divulged that he wants to stay active and was thinking about having meetings regarding potentially teaching a sports broadcasting course. On top of that, he conveyed that part of his family wants him to write a book while another wants him to take part in a podcast with Davidson. In addition to playing more of what he described as “mediocre golf,” Rosen stated that he will spend time with his grandchildren and family moving into the future.
“What this profession, what this job, which wasn’t a job, has given to me and the opportunities that I’ve been able to experience have been wonderful that will stay with me for a lifetime,” Rosen concluded.
Kenny Albert will be succeeding Rosen in the role as the lead television play-by-play announcer for Rangers hockey as the team prepares to celebrate its centennial season. As a result, it was Albert’s final night as the primary radio voice for the team on ESPN New York 880 and the MSG Radio Network. Albert has been working on Rangers broadcasts for the last 29 seasons with former Rangers captain and analyst Dave Maloney. Along with his role at MSG Networks, Albert is the lead play-by-play announcer for NHL coverage on TNT Sports and calls NFL matchups for FOX Sports.
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