Penguins broadcaster Mike Lange remains an iconic hockey voice
Penguins radio play-by-play announcer Mike Lange in the seats as the Ottawa Senators practiced at Scotiabank Place this week.
Photograph by: Wayne Cuddington , Ottawa Citizen
Ask anyone in Pittsburgh to name the best play-by-play broadcaster in hockey and they’ll tell you it’s Mike Lange.
No question. Not even close.
And it’s tough to argue with them.
With his trademark catchphrases that have become part of the sport’s vocabulary, the 65-year-old Lange has been making it fun to listen to hockey games in Pittsburgh for almost 40 years, since he first began calling them in 1974-75.
You never know what he’s going to say, or when he’s going to say it.
It might be “oh, slap me silly, Sidney,” a phrase he introduced when Sidney Crosby scored his first NHL goal.
It might be “He beat him like a rented mule,” to describe how badly a goaltender was beaten.
Or maybe “He’s smiling like a butcher’s dog,” to describe the goal scorer’s glee.
Then again, it might be something nonsensical, like “buy Sam a drink and get his dog one, too,” or “let’s go hunt moose on a Harley.”
Then there’s “get that dog off my lawn,” or “she wants to sell my monkey.”
It’s fair to say that Lange has as much fun as his fiercely devoted fans.
Honoured by the Hockey Hall of Fame with the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award in 2001, Lange is an icon in the Steel City, following in the big footprints of Bob Prince, who was the voice of the Pirates for 28 years, and Myron Cope, the colour commentator on Steelers’ radio broadcasts for 25 years.
Lange is so ingrained as the city’s voice of hockey that his fans will turn down the sound on NBC broadcasts and listen instead to his call of the game.
“If I ever own my own skyscraper, instead of smooth jazz as the elevator music I think I’m just gonna loop Mike Lange goal calls,” wrote one devotee on Twitter a couple of days ago.
The affection is mutual.
“If they enjoy listening to me and can have some fun with it, hey, that’s the ultimate compliment,” Lange said this week while watching the Ottawa Senators and Penguins practice at Scotiabank Place.
“To me, I can’t go any higher on the chart, I don’t think, as far as awareness and people who appreciate what you do.
“When you get that kind of thanks, all I can say is ‘Thanks.’
“That’s all I can say: ‘Thanks for being a part of it.’”
Lange, a native of Sacramento, California, earned a degree in broadcasting from Sacramento State University. Before joining the Penguins, he got his start as the voice of the Phoenix Roadrunners in 1970, and as the play-by-play voice of the San Diego Gulls in 1973-74.
He knew from the start that he wanted to do something different with his broadcasts, and believed it would have resonated with fans wherever he landed.
But he found the perfect environment in Pittsburgh, with its history of unique broadcasters, from Rosey Rosewell, the first voice of the Pirates, through Prince and Cope, and its great sports fans.
“It was just kind of a natural fit for me to come to Pittsburgh and be part of it all,” said Lange. “It’s been a great ride for me as far as the people are concerned.
“They’ve grown accustomed to it, and they’ll continually send me things and drop off new phrases, so it’s warming to have people send you letters and let you become part of their lives.”
No question. Not even close.
And it’s tough to argue with them.
With his trademark catchphrases that have become part of the sport’s vocabulary, the 65-year-old Lange has been making it fun to listen to hockey games in Pittsburgh for almost 40 years, since he first began calling them in 1974-75.
You never know what he’s going to say, or when he’s going to say it.
It might be “oh, slap me silly, Sidney,” a phrase he introduced when Sidney Crosby scored his first NHL goal.
It might be “He beat him like a rented mule,” to describe how badly a goaltender was beaten.
Or maybe “He’s smiling like a butcher’s dog,” to describe the goal scorer’s glee.
Then again, it might be something nonsensical, like “buy Sam a drink and get his dog one, too,” or “let’s go hunt moose on a Harley.”
Then there’s “get that dog off my lawn,” or “she wants to sell my monkey.”
It’s fair to say that Lange has as much fun as his fiercely devoted fans.
Honoured by the Hockey Hall of Fame with the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award in 2001, Lange is an icon in the Steel City, following in the big footprints of Bob Prince, who was the voice of the Pirates for 28 years, and Myron Cope, the colour commentator on Steelers’ radio broadcasts for 25 years.
Lange is so ingrained as the city’s voice of hockey that his fans will turn down the sound on NBC broadcasts and listen instead to his call of the game.
“If I ever own my own skyscraper, instead of smooth jazz as the elevator music I think I’m just gonna loop Mike Lange goal calls,” wrote one devotee on Twitter a couple of days ago.
The affection is mutual.
“If they enjoy listening to me and can have some fun with it, hey, that’s the ultimate compliment,” Lange said this week while watching the Ottawa Senators and Penguins practice at Scotiabank Place.
“To me, I can’t go any higher on the chart, I don’t think, as far as awareness and people who appreciate what you do.
“When you get that kind of thanks, all I can say is ‘Thanks.’
“That’s all I can say: ‘Thanks for being a part of it.’”
Lange, a native of Sacramento, California, earned a degree in broadcasting from Sacramento State University. Before joining the Penguins, he got his start as the voice of the Phoenix Roadrunners in 1970, and as the play-by-play voice of the San Diego Gulls in 1973-74.
He knew from the start that he wanted to do something different with his broadcasts, and believed it would have resonated with fans wherever he landed.
But he found the perfect environment in Pittsburgh, with its history of unique broadcasters, from Rosey Rosewell, the first voice of the Pirates, through Prince and Cope, and its great sports fans.
“It was just kind of a natural fit for me to come to Pittsburgh and be part of it all,” said Lange. “It’s been a great ride for me as far as the people are concerned.
“They’ve grown accustomed to it, and they’ll continually send me things and drop off new phrases, so it’s warming to have people send you letters and let you become part of their lives.”
Lange gets his phrases from anywhere and everywhere.
One day he was talking to a stockbroker friend and asked how his day was going. His friend moaned, “they’re beating me like a rented mule.”
“Scratch my back with a hacksaw” came from a security guard at a shopping mall, who asked Lange if he accepted unsolicited phrases and then wrote it out on a piece of paper.
Another day Lange was sitting in a bar when a man walked in and said “buy Sam a drink and get his dog one, too.”
“Make me a milkshake, Malkin,” a phrase Lange often uses when Malkin scores a goal, came from 14-year-old Dylan Cleland of Manor, a suburb of Pittsburgh. It inspired season-ticket holder Joel DeBaldo, who owns Ice Cream World, to create a Malkin Milkshake: Vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and black and yellow sprinkles.
The low point in Lange’s career came in 2006, when Fox Sports exercised its option and fired him, replacing him on the TV broadcasts with Paul Steigerwald, who had worked with Lange for many years as his colour analyst and found himself awkwardly stuck in the middle.
“I’m not going to try to replace him,” said Steigerwald. “I think he’s irreplaceable.”
The move was extremely unpopular with fans. To many in Pittsburgh, it was reminiscent of the way Prince was unceremoniously dumped as the voice of the Pirates.
Lange had worked in radio exclusively until 1979, when the team began to simulcast games on radio and TV. In the mid-1990s, when the team began doing separate radio and TV broadcasts, Lange moved from radio to TV.
A common reaction to his firing, as reported by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, was this one from longtime ticket holder Chuck Kelly: “Mike Lange is the best announcer in all of hockey. They’ll never get another one like him.”
Penguins president Ken Sawyer quickly offered Lange the chance to return to radio and take back the spot Steigerwald was vacating.
Hurt, Lange took some time to decide, but ultimately said yes. Now, with former Senator and Penguin Phil Bourque as his colour analyst, he is in his 36th consecutive year as the voice of the Penguins, with no end in sight.
“I’m having fun doing it,” he said. “I’ve always had fun doing it.
“So I will go as long as I feel comfortable doing it, and if I don’t enjoy it, then I’ll probably cut back or I’ll try something else. Maybe I’ll find another avenue.
“But right now I’m enjoying it, and we’ll see what happens this year.”
He’s hoping, of course, that the Penguins win the Stanley Cup once more, just so he can bring out of the closet another one of his other gems: “Lord Stanley, Lord Stanley, give me the brandy.”
Twitter.com/allenpanzeri2
One day he was talking to a stockbroker friend and asked how his day was going. His friend moaned, “they’re beating me like a rented mule.”
“Scratch my back with a hacksaw” came from a security guard at a shopping mall, who asked Lange if he accepted unsolicited phrases and then wrote it out on a piece of paper.
Another day Lange was sitting in a bar when a man walked in and said “buy Sam a drink and get his dog one, too.”
“Make me a milkshake, Malkin,” a phrase Lange often uses when Malkin scores a goal, came from 14-year-old Dylan Cleland of Manor, a suburb of Pittsburgh. It inspired season-ticket holder Joel DeBaldo, who owns Ice Cream World, to create a Malkin Milkshake: Vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and black and yellow sprinkles.
The low point in Lange’s career came in 2006, when Fox Sports exercised its option and fired him, replacing him on the TV broadcasts with Paul Steigerwald, who had worked with Lange for many years as his colour analyst and found himself awkwardly stuck in the middle.
“I’m not going to try to replace him,” said Steigerwald. “I think he’s irreplaceable.”
The move was extremely unpopular with fans. To many in Pittsburgh, it was reminiscent of the way Prince was unceremoniously dumped as the voice of the Pirates.
Lange had worked in radio exclusively until 1979, when the team began to simulcast games on radio and TV. In the mid-1990s, when the team began doing separate radio and TV broadcasts, Lange moved from radio to TV.
A common reaction to his firing, as reported by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, was this one from longtime ticket holder Chuck Kelly: “Mike Lange is the best announcer in all of hockey. They’ll never get another one like him.”
Penguins president Ken Sawyer quickly offered Lange the chance to return to radio and take back the spot Steigerwald was vacating.
Hurt, Lange took some time to decide, but ultimately said yes. Now, with former Senator and Penguin Phil Bourque as his colour analyst, he is in his 36th consecutive year as the voice of the Penguins, with no end in sight.
“I’m having fun doing it,” he said. “I’ve always had fun doing it.
“So I will go as long as I feel comfortable doing it, and if I don’t enjoy it, then I’ll probably cut back or I’ll try something else. Maybe I’ll find another avenue.
“But right now I’m enjoying it, and we’ll see what happens this year.”
He’s hoping, of course, that the Penguins win the Stanley Cup once more, just so he can bring out of the closet another one of his other gems: “Lord Stanley, Lord Stanley, give me the brandy.”
Twitter.com/allenpanzeri2
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