Legendary and colorful Penguins broadcaster Mike Lange dies at 76
Hear this story
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.
All things Penguins: Latest Pittsburgh Penguins news, schedule, roster, stats, injury updates and more.
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.
Mike Lange's famous sayings
"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."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
35 minutes ago
- New York Times
How do Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid compare all-time?: Penguins mailbag
Good morning, everyone, and thank you for the wonderful array of questions, as always. Hopefully you're enjoying the Stanley Cup Final and the U.S. Open, if you've got tickets. We'll start in that direction before moving to more Penguins-centric questions. Part 2 of this mailbag is coming soon. Away we go. Do you think it's silly to root against McDavid to win a cup to keep him a peg below Sid? —@beancantfly No, not really. I get it. If you're from Pittsburgh and/or a Penguins fan, you aren't just rooting for championships. You've had the privilege of watching some of the greatest players of all time, from Mario Lemieux to Jaromir Jagr to Sidney Crosby to Evgeni Malkin. It's completely natural to get territorial and to want your guy to be considered the best. And if you're a Sid fan and are very prideful in him being the best player of this century, then I imagine you feel a bit threatened by Connor McDavid. Deep down, you know McDavid's overall talent probably exceeds Sid's. But then again, Lemieux was twice as talented as Gretzky, and most hockey experts like to say Gretzky is the greatest player of all time. I was so, so happy when the Canadiens beat the Kings in the 1993 Stanley Cup Final. I just didn't want Gretzky to get another one. Mind you, I was 13, but still, it's fair. Advertisement While McDavid might be more talented than Sid, the fact is, Sid's accomplishments in terms of winning utterly dwarf McDavid's. I believe the five greatest players who ever lived are Lemieux, Gretzky, Bobby Orr, Crosby and McDavid. I can't imagine anyone else cracking that top five, with all due respect to Gordie Howe, Jagr, Alex Ovechkin, Rocket Richard or whomever else you want to put on this list. You can make an argument for anyone in that top five. There's no right or wrong answer. It's yet to be seen, but if McDavid wins the Cup this year, does he jump over Sid as an all-time great, or does it take more? How many Cups do you think McDavid wins before he retires? — @skiab94 Well, we're talking about public opinion now. Many people these days like to say, 'McDavid is the greatest player of all time!' And hey, maybe he is. He's remarkable. But I also think we fall into the trap of always wanting the person we're currently watching to be the greatest. There's no real joy in taking your son or daughter to a game and saying, 'Look at that, the eighth-greatest player who ever lived!' We tend to forget how great Crosby was in his prime. His prime was cut terribly short because of concussions. But I suspect that McDavid will exceed him in the opinion of many if indeed he does win the Cup. What was your favorite Stanley Cup Final series that did not involve the Penguins? — @cgibson724 Other than this one? Because this one has been insanely entertaining. I'd probably say the 2015 series between Chicago and Boston. That was great stuff with a stunning ending. Josh, how surprised were you that Dan Muse was the coaching choice? Where does it rank among surprise coaching and management hires in Penguins history? — @jlkaplan7 Oh, I was surprised, Jake. Many people in my line of work like to come across as knowing everything and refuse to act surprised as a result. But yeah, I was surprised. Advertisement I knew Muse was interviewed early on, so I guess it didn't come as a total shock. I never sensed he was a front runner and I was certainly not expecting him to be the choice. Do you think one of Rust, Rakell, or Karlsson will be moved this offseason? Kyle Dubas acknowledged he's getting tons of calls on them. — @DustinDiGenio Anything is in play with all three of them. Of the three, I think the most likely to be dealt this summer is Karlsson. My guess is all three will be with the Penguins when next season begins but at least one will be dealt before the deadline. I think Rust is the most likely to finish his contract in Pittsburgh. The Penguins could certainly receive plenty in return for him, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's a lifer. They really love him. As for Rakell, he could go at some point. Interestingly, there wasn't the level of interest in him before the deadline that you would have expected. I struggle with the segment of Pens fans who are dying to just make the playoffs. We rightly criticize the Steelers for their perpetual 10-7/9-8 records while never winning playoff games. Why not strive for a return to a Cup contender like KD wants? The Penguins should always shoot for cups — @nathan_lewy Everyone has their opinion on this topic. Personally, I agree with Dubas' line of thinking. He's shooting big. He doesn't just want to be a wild-card team. I get it, and I like it. That's what I would do if I were the GM. That said, nothing is much worse than a spring without playoff hockey. Do you think that, with the new coaching staff, the Pens give Tristan Jarry and Ryan Graves 'one last chance' to get back to the level of play that won them those contracts? — @TheAndoman I don't think they have any choice. No one is going to trade for them, and the Penguins don't want to buy them out. Advertisement It will be very interesting to see how Graves plays with a new set of eyes on him. Expectations will be disturbingly low, mind you, but it can't hurt to have some new coaches working with him. For the last three seasons, the Pens have lost so many games while leading. I'm certain this was very frustrating to players and coaches. Do you believe Dubas thought Sully's methods had anything to do with this? This team had enough talent to get leads just couldn't hold them…. — @cooljerdoc I have no doubt that the Penguins' defense has been troubling to Dubas since he took over two years ago. But I don't think he ever blamed Sullivan for it. I truly believe he thinks Sullivan is a great coach. What do you think is the best path forward for the Penguins on goalie? Sit tight and hope someone develops? Ride out Jarry's contract then trade for a 1G? Draft more? — @Lemieux67 Sergei Murashov is the future. At least, that's what the Penguins are hoping for. He's probably one year away from being NHL-ready. Playing Jarry heavily this season probably makes sense. As putrid as he was for most of the last season, he actually was the Penguins' best goalie and, to his credit, was good in the season's final month. I think you play Jarry until Murashov is ready, and you hope Murashov is the guy. If he's not, worry about it at that point. A good goalie is often the last thing a hockey team needs. It's like a closer in baseball. You don't really need a great one until you're ready to win. The Penguins just aren't there yet. Is Doc Emrick as awesome in real life as he was on the call? — @LetangCult Oh yeah. One of the kindest people I've ever met. In May 2020, I showed him a Pirates face mask that my girlfriend's aunt had made. She was selling them, and he asked me if he could have one. Naturally, I mailed him one and told him not to worry about the money. Advertisement A week later, I received $30 in cash in an envelope and a handwritten note on a PNC Park letterhead. Doesn't get any better than that. He's the epitome of class. How do you go about acquiring reliable sources as a sports journalist who specifically covers a team? — @BigSaveEh There's no direct answer to this one. Sometimes, when people start to learn who you are, they come to you with information. Sometimes, people want you to write nice things about them — assistant coaches who want to be head coaches are always great for this — so they'll give you information so that, in turn, you might write nice things about them. The ol' 'I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine' approach. (I absolutely hate this. It makes me feel dirty.) In other cases, you just treat people well and get to know them over the years, and they'll help you out. The best thing you can do is treat people with respect. Don't quote them when it's off the record. Use common sense. Check with them before you write something. Do that, and you'll be fine. Wings: Bone-in or boneless and what flavor? — @KMarker14 Bone-in, and with conviction. Are they really wings if they aren't bone-in? And I like flats better than drumsticks. I'm so boring and tame with sauces. The Big Sexy sauce (Mark Madden's trademark) at Big Shot Bob's is sensational. I like any kind of garlic parmesan as well. Or honey mustard. Anything but Cajun-y sauces. Not my thing. Thanks for all the great questions. Another mailbag is on deck. (Photo of Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid: Bruce Bennett / Getty Images)
Yahoo
2 hours 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.
New York Times
17 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)
