Pittsburgh Penguins Hall-Of-Fame Broadcaster Mike Lange Retires
By: KDKA-TV News Staff
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Pittsburgh Penguins' icon and Hall of Fame broadcaster Mike Lange is hanging up his headset.
The Penguins made the official announcement Monday morning on Twitter:
Lange, 73, has been doing play-by-play for the Penguins for 46 years. His voice and his trademark phrases are beloved by fans.
Last season, Lange stepped back from the broadcasting booth significantly as a precaution from the COVID-19 pandemic. He returned at the end of the season to call two regular season home games, along with Games 1 and 5 of the first-round series against the New York Islanders.
While Lange will be stepping back from calling game play-by-play, the organization says he will remain a part of the Penguins Radio Network. He'll continue making appearances during various Penguins programming, the Penguins say.
In a statement, Lange said, "As many of you know, I have been cutting back on game broadcasts the last few seasons. This year was difficult with the pandemic, but I was still able to broadcast a limited few, which was important to me. That marked 50 years of broadcasting professional hockey - four in the Western Hockey League and 46 with the Pittsburgh Penguins. That was pretty special for me. I didn't get cheated in my quest to do what I have always loved. The Penguins have asked me to continue to add commentary and voice work on a limited basis to the current radio set-up and I look forward to staying involved. In the meantime, the best consolation to stepping away is knowing that the broadcast couldn't be in better hands with the very talented Josh Getzoff, and the Ole '29-er, Phil Bourque."
Getzoff will now take over all radio play-by-play duties full time with Bourque, a former Penguin and the team's current color analyst.
Bourque, Lange's longtime broadcasting partner said, "He gets it. He understands Pittsburgh, and Pittsburgh understands him. There is a connection. It's family."
As the Penguins say in their goodbye message, "Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has just left the building."
Stay with KDKA for the latest on this developing story.