Legendary Pittsburgh Penguins Broadcaster Mike Lange Passes Away at 76
PITTSBURGH -- The forever voice of the Pittsburgh Penguins, legendary broadcaster Mike Lange, died in his Pittsburgh home on Wednesday, sources close to Lange confirmed. He was 76.
Lange last called a Penguins game in 2021, when his considerable health issues forced him to step down from the radio booth. Along with Bob Prince, Lange is widely considered the most beloved broadcaster in Pittsburgh sports history. His colorful goal calls, baritone pipes and uncanny feel for hockey turned him into a Pittsburgh legend, and in the years before Mario Lemieux and Sidney Crosby became household names in Pittsburgh, the city's hockey franchise had one star -- the play-by-play man.
"He's just a great man, and you automatically associate his voice with our team," Crosby said upon learning of Lange's retirement in 2021. "The passion, expression and words he used to describe things are just so original to him. I will miss seeing him around the rink, but his calls will always be linked with the great memories. He's always going to be a part of our team."
Routinely receiving as many autograph requests as the Penguins themselves, Lange ingratiated himself into Pittsburgh when he began calling Penguins games in 1974. Lange, a native of Sacramento, Calif., became a fixture in the community, his flashy broadcasting style in stark contrast to the down-to-earth personality that made him the friend of one and many in Pittsburgh pubs.
During the Penguins' tumultuous era before Lemieux arrived in 1984, TV viewers and radio listeners often tuned into games simply to have Lange's voice in their lives.
Lange was as close with many of the Penguins' players as were the team's coaches. In his later years, Lange would often sit beside Crosby in the locker room and the two would chat about all things, not just hockey. Lemieux and Lange had a deep affection for one another and Lange's goal calls are synonymous with essentially all of Lemieux's biggest moments.
Lange was too ill to attend Jaromír Jágr's number retirement ceremony last year. Knowing this, Jagr drove to Lange's home to see him. Lange wanted to attend the ceremony but said he wasn't comfortable appearing at PPG Paints Arena in his condition. When Jagr played for the Penguins from 1990 through 2001, he typically sat with Lange on the team bus.
"We talked about everything," Lange said. "Life, money, girls, hockey. You name it. I love the kid."
Rest assured, everyone loved Lange.
To those who know him best, Lange was simply known as "The Hall of Famer" or "Mikey." Lange was inducted into the broadcaster's wing of the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001.
Many of his calls live in Pittsburgh lore, including:
The majority of Lange's time on the air was spent with Paul Steigerwald as his color commentator. He also worked with Eddie Olczyk and Bob Errey. Lange's remarkable sense of hockey and his ability to anticipate the game were among his greatest gifts.
"Everyone talks about the sayings and all of the funny stuff he'd say," Steigerwald said. "But what made Mike really special was so much more than that. His feel for the game, his ability to describe the game and that incredible voice of his. He was the complete package, just an incredible talent. There's never been anyone like him. No way."
A fellow broadcasting legend was a great admirer of Lange's.
"He had a special ability to feel a game, where it was headed and what the fans at home were thinking," Mike "Doc" Emrick said in 2021. "It didn't matter if he was on TV or radio. He was so extraordinarily talented that he could handle both with ease. He was both clever and witty, and remarkably well prepared, but at the same time, I think Pittsburgh fans just felt like they were sitting on a barstool talking with Mike."
In his final years, Lange remained a faithful supporter of the Penguins. He also remained a mentor. Lange was always in close contact with Josh Getzoff and Steve Mears, the two men who replaced him on television and radio broadcasts. He was always offering them advice, positive encouragement and the occasional nugget of information to enhance their broadcasts.
Lange's most recent broadcast partner, and the person he shared the closest bond with, is current radio and television commentator Phil Bourque. A two-time Stanley Cup champion with the Penguins in 1991 and 1992, Bourque considered Lange among his closest friends. When Bourque was recently forced into play-by-play duty because of Getzoff's illness last month when the Penguins were in San Jose, he asked Lange if he could use one of Lange's famous goal calls.
Lange told him to go for it.
The Penguins lost that game and only scored once, but it was Crosby who fittingly scored the goal. Bourque belted out "Get in the fast lane, grandma, the bingo game is ready to roll" as a way of paying homage to Lange.
Lange was listening.
For one generation after another, Pittsburgh was listening to Lange.
