The National Hockey League has begun saying goodbye to Sam Rosen.
Declaring this season his last may have been meant to give the 77-year-old Rangers caster a farewell tour, but it turned into a send-off with a dual purpose. This is an opportunity for everyone across the league – players, staff, management and fans – to infuse a beloved figure in the hockey world with the same love and integrity that Rosen has injected into the sport for 40 years. It became.
The Devils' training staff presented him with an engraved bottle of wine.
When the Rangers were in Detroit, Red Wings general manager Steve Yzerman came to the visiting booth, and when we were in Toronto, Maple Leafs president Brendan Shanahan came.
Flyers President Keith Jones presented Rosen with a commemorative brick of the old Spectrum.
Flames general manager Craig Conroy visited Rosen to congratulate Calgary. So were the Oilers brass.
Referee Wes McCauley pointed to the broadcast booth before dropping the puck between the Rangers and the Utah Hockey Club.
When the Red Wings were in New York, players sought out Rosen to wish them luck.
Several scoreboard tribute videos and special pregame interviews have been released so far, and more videos are expected to be released in the future.
And in media dining rooms around the league, everyone from officials to scouts to game administrators wait their turn to shake hands.
“We've had people come up to our booth and say, 'Sam, I know this is your last time, but I just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your work.'” said Joe Micheletti, Rosen's broadcast partner. he told the Post.
“He's very happy and grateful. He's always been that way. He's always been really appreciative of his friendships with people in the league. He's very, very well-respected. He stands his ground. I have never disrespected anyone for the sake of doing business. Some people think you have to be tough on someone to get your point across. He's never done that. This situation continues wherever we go.”
One of the most decorated broadcast careers was born simply from lifelong fandom.
Born in Brooklyn, Mr. Rosen was once a kid who would rush through the doors of the old Madison Square Garden on Sundays to the top floor for the top seats. He grew up, became a father, a grandfather, and called the garden his office for 40 years.
There aren't too many fairytale endings in New York sports these days, but Rosen and the legacy he built is one of them.
“He's an icon,” Mika Zibanejad said. “He's a big part of the New York Rangers' identity. When you think of the Rangers, you obviously [think about] I'm thinking about the players, but I'm also thinking about Sam Rosen. All the games that people have heard, seen and heard about him.
“Obviously, it all comes to an end at some point, but I don't think it has sunk in that this is his last season.”
It's not often that one person becomes synonymous with a franchise, but Rosen is exactly that for the Rangers.
His passion for New York, joy for his work and unparalleled dedication to his craft made the New York Rangers viewing experience what it is today. His biggest goal is just to be the best he can be.
It's not just obvious to everyone watching at home, it's recognized throughout the sport. Rosen has been inducted into the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame (2008), Hockey Hall of Fame (2016), and New York State Hockey Hall of Fame (2024).
Earlier this month, he was also awarded the Lester Patrick Award for outstanding contributions to U.S. hockey.
But trophies and accolades pale in comparison to the love of a fan base and the adoration of a place like New York.
A graduate of the City University of New York, Rosen enjoyed a great college baseball career. He has always loved and participated in sports, but when it became clear that his athletic career was over, Rosen realized he wanted to start playing play-by-play.
Rosen, who grew up in a house with one television, had a radio to listen to Yankees games and Knicks games. He then started recording his own tapes, hoping to be like Marty Glickman, Red Barber, and Marv Albert.
Rosen began calling Rangers games on the MSG network in 1977-1978 as backup to Marv Albert on radio and Jim Gordon on television. After signing his first full-time contract with the network in September 1982, Rosen became the Rangers' main television anchor from 1984 to 1985.
Rosen's first broadcast partnership with Phil Esposito was short-lived compared to his tenures with Micheletti and John Davidson, but it was very funny and eventful.
Before their first broadcast together, Esposito arrived at the arena early, feeling a little nervous. He walked very close to the booth to avoid the crowds, went inside and turned on the light.
“And I remember this guy, this big guy who was an electrician, said, 'What are you doing?'” Esposito recalled. “I said, 'What? what? 'He was like, 'What are you doing?' I said, “I just turned on the light!” He says, “You can't do that.” That's my job. 'I said, 'Are you kidding me?'I just turned on the light. ”Then I went to the switch and did something stupid like turn it on and off about 5 or 6 times.
“Then my boss called me and said, 'Phil, you better apologize or the electricians' union is going to cancel the game.'” I said, “What?” he said. And Sam said, “Phil, just apologize.” I said, “For what?” To turn on the lights! He's like, “Yeah, you can't do that.” So I apologized to the player and the match continued. ”
Esposito was always trying to make Rosen laugh, which wasn't that difficult.
Rosen lost the MSG paste-on patch midway through the show when it fell off his blazer because Esposito refused to sew it on for fear of repercussions at the bar after an away game.
While Rosen tried to read a commercial for the now-defunct camera company Minolta, Esposito stood behind the camera, blinking repeatedly.
And Esposito once criticized former Rangers coach Herb Brooks on the air for trying to make Mike Rodgers the defensive centerman.
“And Sam looked at me,” Esposito said with a belly laugh. “When he saw me, I thought, 'Oh, I'm in trouble.'
A big part of Esposito didn't want to give up his job with Rosen to become the Rangers' head coach and general manager in 1986. But when the time came, Esposito said he helped facilitate Davidson's hiring.
When you're working with someone like Rosen, there's no such thing as a transition, Davidson said. It just works. As for how much of a team player Rosen is, Davidson praised how Rosen can broadcast sports every day and still seem to love them.
That's the environment Rosen was fostered in, and it continues to be today.
Chris Ebert, Rosen's producer at MSG, said, “All of my friends who grew up with Sam who watched him went home and said, “Sam is like the one we all saw on TV when we were in high school.'' You could say it was the exact same guy.” For 13 seasons.
There are also standards that Rosen strives for every time she steps in front of the camera. Even though technology in the broadcast industry is constantly changing, Ebert said Rosen's process and preparation style have remained the same.
Rosen still attends every practice and talks to players in the locker room every chance he gets. Micheletti said Rosen always overprepares, adding that Evert wants to know as much as possible about the game.
But when you work with someone like Rosen, the fun never goes away.
Davidson said he had no idea what Wayne Gretzky was saying when he said on TNT that the MSG production would give the former Rangers goaltender the trivia answer behind Rosen. He repeated his fifth plea, laughing at the thought of Rosen being embarrassed by the Rangers' knowledge.
In the less successful years, Davidson said the broadcast team took the approach that win or lose, people deserved to sit at home and smile a little. They worked tirelessly to make it happen.
But 1994, the year of ultimate success, rightly stands out for Davidson.
Executive producer Mike McCarthy had Rosen and Davidson kidnapped and taken to the Canyon of Heroes after they had worked in the studio for part of the Rangers' Stanley Cup victory parade.
“It was an amazing experience,” said Davidson, who traveled to Pittsburgh to watch Rosen accept the Lester Patrick Award. “I had never felt anything like that in my life. Sam and I were in a squad car with the police, and when we looked out the car window, all we could see was people. It was incredible. He was so excited.
They say all good things must come to an end, but for Rosen, who has called the Olympics and NFL games on FOX for more than two decades, it won't come to an end without proper recognition.
If you've spent most of your life being the soundtrack to the New Yorker fanbase, that's exactly what you're getting into. Rosen will not only be saying goodbye to the job he has aspired to since his college days, but he will also be resigning from a position that means a lot to people because of the results of his previous work.
For these reasons, this farewell tour is as important to him as it is to the Rangers, the rest of the NHL, and hockey fans around the world.
“Many nights I'd go to bed and the Rangers game would start, so I definitely fell asleep listening to him talk about hockey every night,” said Rangers reserve goaltender Jonathan, a Connecticut native. Quick said. “Obviously he's a legend in this organization and this league. We're just happy with his career so far and we wish him the best.”
Rosen said he won't be able to start thinking seriously about retirement until March or April, but it's clearly something everyone else has in mind.
Efforts are being made to fully experience Rosen as a play-by-play announcer, hockey player, and side-by-side personality.
With more than 3,000 game calls and 12 Stanley Cup Final appearances with the Rangers, Rosen's string of accomplishments in the NHL will be remembered almost as much as his presence will certainly be remembered.
“It seems like that's the only thing he ever wanted to do,” Evert said. “It's great to do it for him, but I selfishly think it's for us as well. It's a little nugget of our childhood. I remember those moments while watching them. And it's really great to relive it as a fan, as his colleague, and as his friend. It's been a lot of fun, and I hope he enjoys it as much as we do.”
Rangers fans will never forget his famous “This is for life!” Or call “Power play goal!”
Because Sam Rosen's voice has been passed down through generations.
That's what makes breaking up the hardest.
