LANGE THE LEGEND LEAVING THE BOOTH
Ladies and gentlemen, a Pittsburgh icon has just left the play-byplay booth.
Mike Lange, the legendary broadcaster whose clever catchphrases and crescendo calls were the soundtrack of the greatest moments in Penguins history, announced Monday he will not return to the radio booth for play-by-play duties.
“As many of you know, I have been cutting back on game broadcasts the last few seasons,” Lange said in a statement. “This year was difficult with the pandemic, but I was still able to broadcast a limited few, which was important to me. That marked 50 years of broadcasting professional hockey — four in the Western Hockey League and 46 with the Pittsburgh Penguins. That was pretty special for me.”
He added: “I didn’t get cheated in my quest to do what I have always loved.”
The 73-year-old missed the majority of the 2020-21 season for precautionary reasons during the pandemic as he awaited the COVID-19 vaccine. He returned to the booth at PPG Paints Arena to call two home games near the end of the regular season and Games 1 and 5 of the playoff series against the New York Islanders.
After a Hall-of-Fame career and 46 years of broadcasting Pittsburgh Penguins hockey, Mike Lange will be retiring from his play-by-play duties.
In April, Lange admitted the time away from the arena made him think about life beyond and said he would mull retirement after the season.
“I’m not young anymore,” he told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “There’s always that possibility. I reserve that right to have that option. The team has allowed me to do that.”
So Monday’s announcement, while it was sad news for Pittsburgh puck-lovers who associate his voice with so many fond memories, was far from a surprise.
Josh Getzoff, who split playby-play duties with Lange the last three seasons, will be Lange’s full-time replacement in the radio booth, teaming up with longtime Penguins analyst Phil Bourque. Getzoff previously traveled to call all of the road games and filled in for Lange whenever Lange was unavailable for home games.
“Once I reached a point when I was 12 or 13 and realized I wasn’t going to be an NHL player, I wanted to be in it as a broadcaster,” he told the Post-Gazette. “Not to sound overly cliché, but it really is a dream come true to get the chance to do it full time. The fact that the Penguins are giving me a chance to be their voice is humbling but at the same time super exciting. I can’t wait to get going.”
But getting word that Lange would be retiring from play-by-play was a whirlwind of emotions for Getzoff, whom Lange took under his wing when Getzoff joined the Penguins Radio Network in 2015, originally hosting the pregame show.
“Look, in the city of Pittsburgh,
he’s on murals. People love him. You see his shirts printed in the Strip District. He’s an icon and a pillar of the city, in the community and obviously with the hockey team,” Getzoff said. “As far as important and iconic figures, he’s right up there with Mario Lemieux and Sidney Crosby.”
Lange will remain a part of the Penguins Radio Network. He will add commentary and voice work “to the current radio setup” on a limited basis, he said.
“I look forward to staying involved,” Lange said. “In the meantime, the best consolation to stepping away is knowing that the broadcast couldn’t be in better hands with the very talented Josh Getzoff, and the Ole ’29-er, Phil Bourque.”
Classy as always, he expressed gratitude for the support him over the years.
“There are so many people to thank along the way,” Lange stated. “From the terrific personnel at the arena all these years, ownership including the smaller investors who took a chance on this franchise, players who make it all possible and the management and all the staff members who are so memorable to me. I am very grateful for the chance to meet and work with you over the years.
“And to the fans: what a trip we had together. So many contributing to the broadcasts and listening night after night. Always made me ‘smile like a butcher’s dog.’ ”
Lange, a native of Sacramento, Calif., earned a degree in broadcasting from Sacramento State University before starting his career as the voice of the Phoenix Roadrunners in 1970. Lange later did playby-play for the San Diego Gulls and the Washington Diplomats soccer club before joining the Penguins.
Lange’s relationship with the Penguins began in 1974-75 as a radio play-by-play man. He left for one season, returned in 1976-77 and is still here today.
Lange did radio exclusively until 1979, when Penguins games began to be simulcast on radio and television. And he busted out signature catchphrases such as “Elvis has just left the building!” and “She wants to sell my monkey!” as Mario Lemieux and the Penguins captured backto-back Stanley Cup titles and Pittsburgh’s heart.
Lange served as the TV voice of the Penguins through 2005-06 then returned to the radio booth the next season The Hockey Hall of Famer was on the call when Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Co. added three more Cups to the trophy case.
“Mike is a broadcasting legend, not just in Pittsburgh, but in all of sports. … Mike’s clever phrases and goal calls are synonymous with the most iconic moments in Penguins history,” Penguins president and CEO David Morehouse stated. “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.”
While those “clever phrases” upped the entertainment factor for loyal Penguins fans and earned Lange notice beyond Pittsburgh, Getzoff believes Lange’s best attribute was his feel for the game and looming drama.
“He would say something like, ‘There may be a chance here.’ Mike didn’t say those things lightly. He said it with purpose. And as a fan, you learn to appreciate that,” he said. “So when he says it, you start to lean a little bit more forward in your seat. You listen a little more closely. Because he hasn’t steered you wrong.”
Getzoff knows there will never be another Mike Lange. “He’s definitely one of a kind,” he said. Getzoff, respectfully, plans to call Penguins games his way.
He remembers the day in 2017 when Lange taped the announcement that he would be scaling back his broadcasting duties and that Getzoff would start calling road games. As they walked out to the parking garage, Lange gave Getzoff, now 32, a subtle but purposeful compliment that still sticks with him.
“I said, ‘Mike, it means so much to me that you would look at me as someone who could sit in your chair and call these games.’ And he said, ‘You can. You can.’ And Mike just kind of smirked at me and shook my hand,” he said. “He walked off and it seemed like he was walking off into the sunset, like in a movie.”
Four years later, Lange is sauntering out of the booth for good. But his unforgettable calls will continue to reverberate through this city for decades to come.