The saying goes that all good things must come to an end.
This is especially the case when it comes to New York Rangers Hall of Fame broadcaster Sam Rosen. It was reported by Andrew Marchand and Peter Baugh of The Athletic that the upcoming season would be Rosen’s last in the broadcast booth.
This will be Rosen’s 40th season as the TV voice of one of the league’s most storied franchises. Of course, he was on the call for MSG Networks when the Rangers won the Stanley Cup for the first time in 54 years in 1994, with his famous final call of the Final “The waiting is over! The New York Rangers are the Stanley Cup champions. And this one will last a lifetime!” going down in hockey folklore.
Rosen has been a huge part of the Rangers’ fabric. From calling the team’s Cup victory, to having a front-row seat to Rangers heroes such as Mark Messier, Brian Leetch, Mike Richter, Adam Graves, Henrik Lundqvist, and now the latest edition of the Blueshirts, Rosen has seen it and called it all for Broadway’s hockey club.
He has also had two legendary broadcast-commentator relationships while steering the call from the booth. While his first commentator, Phil Esposito, is certainly a legend, John Davidson was the one who bought out the best in Rosen.
Rosen and J.D., also in the Hockey Hall of Fame for his broadcasting abilities, were partners in the booth for 20 seasons, the longest-serving NHL broadcast team at one point. They used their knowledge of not only the Rangers, but of all 30 teams to bring viewers the best hockey broadcast on a nightly basis.
When J.D. left to join the St. Louis Blues as their President, the Blueshirts hired Joe Micheletti and to say that it has been the perfect match would be an understatement. Micheletti fit in seamlessly with Rosen, and fans have become accustomed to having another terrific pair in the broadcast booth calling their favorite hockey team.
There is no doubt that when the upcoming season comes to an end, Rosen is going to be missed in a big way by Ranger fans. The best way for Rosen to be sent off is for the Rangers to win the Cup, with Rosen calling the game on the radio while Kenny Albert calls it for TNT.
As someone who grew up loving the Blueshirts and watches every game to this day, thanks for everything, Sam!
ITR 40: Headed For A Repeat? – Inside The Rink
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