Penguins Announcer Mike Lange Retiring From Play-By-Play Duties

Pittsburgh PA

09 August, 2021

1:22 PM

Description

PITTSBURGH, PA — Mike Lange, the Pittsburgh Penguins Hall of Fame announcer who has been calling the team's games for nearly half-a-century is retiring from his radio play-by-play duties. Lange will still make occasional radio appearances and appear on other Pens programming. Josh Getzoff, who has three seasons of experience calling Pens road games, will take over play-by-play duties for all games. He will team with veteran analyst and former Pens player Phil Borque on 105.9 FM The X and the rest of the Penguins Radio Network. With the exception of the 1975-76 season, Lange has done play-by-play for the Penguins since 1974-75 - sometimes on radio, sometimes on TV and sometimes simulcasting on both. He missed most of last season's broadcasts while waiting to receive the coronavirus vaccination. "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," Lange said in a news release. "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." Know for his creative catch phrases - among them, "Elvis has left the building," and "Buy Sam a drink and get his dog one, too" - Lange was the recipient of the Foster Hewitt Award for broadcasting from the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001. Pens CEO David Morehouse called Lange a respected broadcasting legend, not just in Pittsburgh but throughout the sporting world. "Mike's clever phrases and goal calls are synonymous with the most iconic moments in Penguins history," Morehouse said. " Although he is stepping away from the booth, he remains a huge part of the Penguins' family and we look forward to hearing his voice for years to come."