logo
Legendary and colorful Penguins broadcaster Mike Lange dies at 76

Legendary and colorful Penguins broadcaster Mike Lange dies at 76

Yahoo20-02-2025

Longtime Pittsburgh Penguins television and radio broadcaster Mike Lange has died at the age of 76, the team announced Wednesday night.
The colorful Lange, who retired in 2021 after 46 years of calling Penguins games, received the Hockey Hall of Fame's Foster Hewitt Award for outstanding broadcasting in 2001.
"Mike Lange was a wordsmith — a magician behind the mic," the Penguins said in a statement. "The Californian quickly became a quintessential Pittsburgher, and his colorful calls and smooth cadence brought Penguins hockey to life.
"The Hall of Famer's voice is synonymous with the biggest calls in franchise history, including all five Stanley Cup Championships, and his unique one-liners and knack for anticipating game-changing plays set him apart from other announcers. Only Mike could make the biggest names in hockey seem even more magical with just his voice."
The Penguins won championships in 1991, 1992, 2009, 2016 and 2017 during his tenure. He described the plays of Penguins legends Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and others.
Lange was honored in a pregame ceremony celebrating 45 years as the voice of the Penguins in 2019. The team named the press box at PPG Paints Arena the 'Mike Lange Media Level.'
Lange broke into the NHL in 1974-75 as a radio play-by-play announcer for the Penguins. He left for one season, but returned in 1976-77. Lange did radio exclusively until 1979, when games were simulcast on radio and TV. He was the television voice of the Penguins through 2005-06, before returning to the radio booth in 2006-07.
The Sacramento, California, native got a degree in broadcasting from Sacramento State before starting off calling minor league hockey with the Phoenix Roadrunners and San Diego Gulls. He also called games for soccer's Washington Diplomats before joining the Penguins.
'I didn't get cheated in my quest to do what I have always loved," he said in 2021.
"Lord Stanley, Lord Stanley, give me the brandy."
"Scratch my back with a hacksaw."
'Buy Sam a drink and get his dog one, too."
"Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has just left the building."
'Smilin' like a butcher's dog."
"He beat him like a rented mule."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mike Lange, legendary Penguins broadcaster, dies at 76

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Confirmed: Lemieux ‘Probably' Interested in Ownership; Why Jagr is Back in Pittsburgh
Confirmed: Lemieux ‘Probably' Interested in Ownership; Why Jagr is Back in Pittsburgh

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Confirmed: Lemieux ‘Probably' Interested in Ownership; Why Jagr is Back in Pittsburgh

Shortly after the Pittsburgh Penguins had a successful introduction of new head coach Dan Muse this morning, the news changed from pleasant to bombshell. In the early afternoon, TSN's Pierre LeBrun reported that former Penguins owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle, along with the former president of business operations David Morehouse, were interested in re-purchasing the Penguins. The Lemieux group sold the team and surrounding land holdings to the Fenway Sports Group in late 2021 for a reported sum of about $900 million. Advertisement The explosive report set off a social media wave of sentiment that also overshadowed what was supposed to be more happy news as Penguins great Jaromir Jagr flew to Pittsburgh and was at the arena, too. LeBrun followed that report with a small update that there is a second group also looking into the Penguins. Previously, the Penguins' current ownership group, FSG, has confirmed interest in accepting minority investors to raise capital as the group develops the uptown property surrounding PPG Paints Arena. Wednesday afternoon, sources confirmed to Pittsburgh Hockey Now that Lemieux was indeed interested in investigating some ownership of the team. It is important to note that any investiture or purchase process has not yet begun. Advertisement It should also be noted that Lemieux's absence from the arena since selling to FSG stemmed from some ill feelings that resulted from the post-sale process. Merely investing and working with FSG might seem to be, at best, a surprising turn of events. Jaromir Jagr In the social media world, Penguins fans were abuzz over the last couple of days as franchise icon Jaromir Jagr teased a visit to Pittsburgh via Instagram. In light of the extraordinary news of Lemieux's interest, speculation surrounding Jagr's arrival at PPG Paints Arena on Wednesday only grew. However, the speculation that he was in town to invest or take a job with the organization was over the top and far more interesting than the reality. Advertisement According to team sources, Jagr was at PPG Paints Arena to accept the Emmy that the team won for their documentary coverage of the days leading to Jagr's number retirement on Feb. 18. The scheduled visit was one of Kevin Acklin's final acts as team president of business operations, and well-timed to coincide with the organization's hockey operations meetings happening this week. First-hand sources confirmed there was no more to it. Acklin wanted to strengthen the organization's relationship with Jagr, which was strained for more than two decades following his 2001 trade to the Washington Capitals. The team also released social media videos of Jagr meeting Muse, and president of hockey operations/GM, Kyle Dubas welcoming Jagr to the team meetings. The visit was merely part of the increasing goodwill between the team and Jagr. The post Confirmed: Lemieux 'Probably' Interested in Ownership; Why Jagr is Back in Pittsburgh appeared first on Pittsburgh Hockey Now.

NHL rumblings: Latest on Kreider, Marchand, Tavares, Pettersson, more as the trade market heats up
NHL rumblings: Latest on Kreider, Marchand, Tavares, Pettersson, more as the trade market heats up

New York Times

time15 hours ago

  • New York Times

NHL rumblings: Latest on Kreider, Marchand, Tavares, Pettersson, more as the trade market heats up

The potential Chris Kreider trade from the New York Rangers to the Anaheim Ducks has kicked off what should be a rather intriguing summer. Intriguing because as I made calls over the Past few days, taking time away from the Stanley Cup Final to get caught up on offseason affairs, one central theme popped up: Where are the sellers? Advertisement The landscape in the NHL is changing with long-established rebuilding clubs like the Ducks, Montreal Canadiens and Detroit Red Wings all wanting to add — and even teams further down the pecking order like the Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks wanting to get better by adding pieces as well. 'Almost everyone is looking to add or get better, pretty much,' one NHL general manager said Wednesday. 'There's almost no one purely selling.' Or as another NHL GM put it: What team is entering a new rebuild right now? Instead, it seems teams that need to get younger are looking at the fantastic re-tool the Washington Capitals pulled off over the past few years and deciding that's the model they want to follow. In a more traditional offseason, several teams would be entering a rebuilding phase, saying, 'Take our veteran players off our roster' for future assets. But there really isn't a single franchise ready to implode its roster. The Pittsburgh Penguins could be considered that team, in some ways. They are listening on pretty much everyone other than their legacy guys. Bryan Rust is the guy most teams are calling on. Rickard Rakell is also a name to monitor. It could put the Penguins in an interesting position with the lack of sellers to cash in on that leverage. But overall, it's really interesting how many teams, regardless of their place in the standings, are looking to add to some degree. It's a one-sided market, at least at the onset of this offseason. What else I'm hearing from around the league: • On Kreider, a potential trade first reported by Frank Seravalli, there were more discussions Wednesday. The deal is agreed to, but Kreider would need to waive as Anaheim is on his No list. Kreider was doing his homework on Anaheim on Wednesday and will make a decision. I assume his old pal Jacob Trouba is selling him hard on it. Advertisement • Apparently Brad Marchand has decided he's going to score in every single game of the Stanley Cup Final. I'm kidding of course, but I mean, could anyone have anticipated this kind of playoff performance from the 37-year-old? His rejuvenation coincides perfectly with his pending free agency, and there's no question that contenders are licking their lips hoping to make him an aggressive offer come July 1. The door isn't closed on staying with the Florida Panthers, but with pending unrestricted free agent and Conn Smythe contender Sam Bennett a top priority for the Panthers and Aaron Ekblad also a pending UFA, it's probably most likely Marchand is going to market where total dollars will be the top probity moreso than the actual average annual value. I think he's going to get three or four years and easily north of $8 million a year. And yes, as others have wondered, I do believe the Toronto Maple Leafs will be among the possibilities for Marchand. I mean, he mentioned during the second-round series with Toronto that he grew up a Leafs fan. But to be clear, there are multiple teams in play for Marchand if and when he hits the market. • The Calgary Flames, the Vancouver Canucks and the Canadiens are among the Canadian teams looking for a young No. 2 center, but I would say among those three, the Canucks have the most interest in Wild center Marco Rossi. The Flames have mild interest (they would rather get a center with more size), and I don't think the Habs are on that very much at all. • Speaking of centers, there's a long list of teams eager to see where things go with the New York Islanders under new GM Mathieu Darche when it comes to Mathew Barzal and Bo Horvat. Could either center become available? The answer is no. Darche has communicated with both star players that they're staying put. That's going to be disappointing for teams who were hoping to make offers on either. I think Montreal would have probably been one of those teams. But keeping both Barzal and Horvat is part of Darche's decision to not undergo a massive, long-term rebuild. He sees a team that can compete for a playoff spot next year. Advertisement Of course, there are going to be roster changes. I think the overall theme will be to get younger when possible. But overall, the idea is he's not dropping a grenade on the roster. Darche and head coach Patrick Roy are aligned on wanting to play a higher-pace brand of hockey, and certainly Barzal and Horvat are at the heart of that. • Pat Brisson, the agent for Jonathan Toews, has heard from multiple teams regarding interest in his client, who is returning to the NHL next season. But Brisson is keeping the list of real suitors down to three or four teams, max. The Winnipeg Jets, as discussed before, are one of those teams. I wonder about the Colorado Avalanche as an option as well, but regardless of where it goes, Brisson already has it narrowed down to a tight list. • Never say never, but all signs point to the Canucks keeping Elias Pettersson, whose full no-move clause kicks in July 1. The Canucks are encouraged by Pettersson's approach this offseason. While production over the past two years hasn't matched his $11.6 million salary (he's got seven more years on his deal), there were teams monitoring that situation given how thin the UFA market is. But it sounds like Vancouver wants to keep him. • The Carolina Hurricanes, not surprisingly, are ready to make a splash. They've got $30 million to spend under the salary cap. The Canes intend to inquire on pending UFA Mitch Marner, as many contending teams do, but their eggs are not all in that basket. They are ready to take a run at several free agents and also are inquiring on the trade front. Get ready to see Carolina mentioned in a lot of speculation over the next four weeks. They also need to add on defense with the expectation that pending UFA Dmitry Orlov will go to market. • Utah is looking to take a big swing. It's listening on the No. 4 pick, but you just don't see top-five picks traded very often, and while I think GM Bill Armstrong is genuinely fielding calls on it, I don't think that pick moves. But Utah absolutely wants to be aggressive in upgrading, and I believe it would be among the more serious suitors for Sam Bennett if he goes to market. (I still think he probably re-signs in Florida.) • The Nashville Predators won't be setting off July 1 fireworks after two consecutive years of adding big names. The Predators want to let their roster settle. They might make a subtle signing or two, but nothing too flashy. They've got several players entering the last year of their deals (guys like Micheal Bunting, Colton Sissons, Michael McCarron, Jeremy Lauzon) so if they don't bounce back, they could sell at the March trade deadline, but otherwise it's about keeping the path open for some of their top prospects. • The Chicago Blackhawks are exploring options to add to their forward group. They feel like they're in a good spot on the back end with their young guys and set in goal. They want to start turning the team over to their younger players overall, so while they would like to add a player or two up front this offseason, they also don't want to hinder their younger players' path to quality playing time. So while the Hawks are looking to add up front, I don't think they're going to chase something unreasonable or do anything that doesn't make sense in terms of the path they're on. Advertisement • The Kings continue to have discussions with Vladislav Gavrikov's camp. This one is hard to read right now. I think there's a pretty robust market on July 1 for the pending UFA defenseman, given how thin the position is in free agency this year. The list is eight or nine teams deep that I believe would be making Gavrikov an offer July 1. (I would put the Rangers in that group of suitors.) But the door hasn't been closed on L.A. to this point, either. All things being equal, though, this feels like Gavrikov is more likely going to market than not. • Jamie Benn's agent, Bayne Pettinger, was slated to speak with Stars GM Jim Nill about the pending UFA captain before the end of this week. There's mutual interest in getting a deal done. Ditto with pending UFA Matt Duchene as far as ongoing discussions; his preference would be to stay in Dallas if possible. • The Leafs and John Tavares' camp continue to talk and touched based again this week. There remains mutual interest in getting something done, but finding that sweet spot on a fair deal isn't quite there yet. The idea that Tavares might sign for a bargain $5 million AAV seems like a stretch to me. It's going to have to be above that to get it done given the year he just had, although term is part of the equation as well. • In non-player news, I reported Wednesday that league sources have informed me that Ron Burkle, Mario Lemieux and David Morehouse have decided to explore the possibility of buying back the Penguins from Fenway Sports. Burkle and Lemieux sold the Penguins to Fenway in 2021. Fenway made public several months ago that they were seeking to sell a minority share. But the intention here from the Burkle, Lemieux and Morehouse group, as I understand it, would be the buy back the entire team. I've also heard that Fenway had been in talks with another potential group. We'll see where this all goes, but it sure is interesting to hear that Super Mario wants back in. • In CBA news, the NHL and NHL Players' Association had another bargaining session Wednesday and continue to get closer and closer to a CBA extension. I'm told that there are still a handful of issues that need ironing out but that the feeling is, barring a major setback, there could be a CBA done by the end of the month and perhaps in time for the June 25 Board of Governors meeting. • And finally, one of the by-products of having a decentralized draft is how much impetus it put on NHL team execs and player agents to get their face-to-face time at the recent combine in Buffalo. One NHL GM said it was the busiest combine he can remember in terms of taking meetings to prepare for the trade and free-agent market. One veteran agent said he had 20 meetings in a few days. Never seen anything like it, he said. Advertisement And that's because for the June 27 and 28 NHL Draft, GMs will be at their team headquarters across the 32 markets, not in one place. So from here on out this month, it's all phone work. It's still too early for most of the high-profile trade conversations to go next level. So much of what happened in Buffalo was planting seeds and trying to get a sense of the market. But the first round of the draft on June 27 will act as the first deadline, of sorts, of the offseason as far as trades that may involve first-round picks. (Top photo of Nate Schmidt, John Tavares and Brad Marchand: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)

Fueled by a desire to teach, new Penguins coach Dan Muse is embracing the challenge that awaits
Fueled by a desire to teach, new Penguins coach Dan Muse is embracing the challenge that awaits

San Francisco Chronicle​

time18 hours ago

  • San Francisco Chronicle​

Fueled by a desire to teach, new Penguins coach Dan Muse is embracing the challenge that awaits

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Dan Muse knows his resume, at least the part that includes his playing career, doesn't exactly fit the profile of the typical NHL coach. And yet in some ways, the years spent as a self-described 'bad' forward at Division III Stonehill College, where Muse scored all of five goals in 61 games, played a vital role in creating a path that eventually led Muse to the Pittsburgh Penguins. 'That taught me about work ethic,' Muse said on Wednesday, a week after the Penguins hired him to replace two-time Stanley Cup winner Mike Sullivan. "That taught me about 'Never quit. Don't stop. Never listen to the outside noise and keep finding a way.'' Something Muse has done everywhere he's been over the past two decades, whether it's on the ice, in a high school history classroom or on the lacrosse field. Beyond hockey, teaching might be Muse's true calling. There's something about the challenge of trying to tap into someone's potential — whether it's a perennial NHL All-Star, a 20-year-old prospect, or a student struggling in the classroom — that has always called to him. The fact that calling pushed the 42-year-old to the highest reaches of the sport that's been a lifelong passion is mostly a happy accident. 'I haven't felt like I've worked a day in my life,' he said. An extraordinary impact Maybe, but there is plenty of work to be done in Pittsburgh, which finds itself trying to navigate the twilight of the Sidney Crosby Era to the beginning of whatever might come next. Those plans are still largely in the gestational phase. General manager Kyle Dubas has spent the past 15 months leaning into accumulating as many draft picks and young prospects as possible. The Penguins have 30 selections over the next three years, including 18 in the first three rounds. Muse's burgeoning reputation as a coach with the knack for getting the best out of players makes him seemingly a solid fit for where the Penguins might be going, though Dubas stressed Muse's talents lie beyond merely turning young, talented prospects into young, talented pros. 'Whether it's a young player coming into the league, or a veteran player trying to stay in the league, Dan has an extraordinary impact on all of them,' Dubas said. He'll have to if he wants to have a lengthy run in Pittsburgh, which has missed the playoffs each of the past three seasons and hasn't made it beyond the first round of the postseason since 2018. While longtime captain Crosby, who turns 38 this summer, remains one of the most productive and dependable players in the league, the Penguins have struggled defensively and in goal. Dubas is not interested in a quick fix and instead is searching for a solution that will have staying power. Muse seems to be on board, declining to put any sort of timeline on when Pittsburgh might return to legitimate Stanley Cup contention, saying only that the process will start when the club reports to training camp in September. Muse said he's spoken or at least reached out to '95%' of the players under contract for next season, though he's focused on simply getting to know them at this point rather than do a deep dive into specific philosophies. That will come later. Not intimidated There was a time earlier in his coaching journey — particularly when he was hired as an assistant at Yale in 2009 — when he feared his modest playing career would be a hindrance. Now, the idea of creating a plan and asking future Hall of Famers Crosby and Evgeni Malkin to execute it isn't a problem. 'I've worked in almost every role you can imagine,' said Muse, who spent the past two years on Peter Laviolette's staff with the New York Rangers. 'Second assistant. First assistant. Video coach. Head coach (at the junior level). Especially having the opportunity to work in two different NHL organizations, as well as with all those different players, led me to feel extremely confident about my abilities to come into this opportunity.' Heady territory for someone who grew up in a hockey family but didn't pick up the game seriously until he was 11 and living in Alabama, not exactly a hockey hotbed. Muse can't explain what exactly drew him to the game. He just always sort of loved it. His parents helped stoke that passion, and his work ethic did the rest. Muse's background is one of the reasons why Dubas was intent on opening the job up to candidates of all stripes, not just the people he'd gotten to know during his decade-plus in the NHL. 'If we hadn't gone through that whole process and turned to someone I knew in the past or worked with, we wouldn't have found the best coach for the Penguins,' Dubas said. 'And that's Dan.' In a league that recycles coaches with regularity, the bespectacled Muse and his almost gravely New England accent offer a blank canvas. The Penguins are, in a way, starting over. Muse, who has won championships at every level he's coached outside of the NHL, is just starting up. 'A year from now, I believe I'll be a better coach and hope to be a better person than the one I am sitting here today,' he said. 'That's how it should be.' ___

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store