Buffalo Sabres Announcer Rick

Mike Lange: A National Hockey League Broadcasting Icon

Introduction: For Mike Lange, the 2008-09 National Hockey League (NHL) season was his 33rd overall on Pittsburgh Penguins' broadcasts and his third in a row handling play-by-play on radio.

Lange first joined the Penguins for the 1974-75 season. After a one-season absence due to the fact that the Penguins had gone into bankruptcy and he had no guarantee of a job, Lange returned in 1976-77 and has been a member of the broadcast team ever since.

For many seasons, Lange was the play-by-play announcer for the Penguins on television and radio as the games were simulcast.

Lange ranks third in seniority among NHL play-by-play announcers. He trails only Rick Jeanneret, who has been with the Buffalo Sabres since the 1971-72 season, and Bob Miller, who has been with the Los Angeles Kings since 1973-74.

Lange is beloved by Penguins' fans in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area and around the world. In addition, he has earned the respect of his peers.

In 2001, Lange earned the highest honor possible for a NHL broadcaster - the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award and with it induction into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Named after the great Canadian hockey announcer Foster Hewitt, the award is presented by the Hockey Hall of Fame to members of the radio and television industry who make outstanding contributions to their profession and the game of hockey during their broadcasting career.

This writer offers sincere thanks to Lange for granting the interview that led to this four-part series of articles on Associated Content and to Erik Heasley, Communications Coordinator, Pittsburgh Penguins, for helping to arrange the interview.

Part III is below. The headline of Part I is "Mike Lange's Boyhood Dream Becomes a Sports Broadcasting Career." The headline of Part II is "The Start of Mike Lange's Long-Running Hockey Broadcasting Success Story in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania." The headline of Part IV is "Lange Looks Back on His Experience Behind the Microphone in Game 7 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Final."

This writer also has published another article on Lange on Associated Content. The headline of the article is "Mike Lange Still Going Strong in 33rd Season on Pittsburgh Penguins' Broadcasts."

JC: You are a beloved by Penguins fans in the Pittsburgh area and around the world. When you first came to the Penguins, did you imagine that you would forge such a lasting connection with Penguins' fans?

ML: Call it fate. Or this may be another example of the good Lord taking care of me. He said to me, "The only place I can put someone as crazy as you is Pittsburgh."

I'm a colorful announcer. And there have definitely been other colorful announcers in Pittsburgh who will always be remembered fondly - such as Rosie Roswell and Bob Prince of the Pirates (of Major League Baseball) and Myron Cope of the Steelers (of the National Football League).

For me, Pittsburgh and the Penguins are a perfect fit. My profile has grown over the years. And the fans are a big part of it. They send me stuff all the time. And they stop me on the street to talk Penguins' hockey.

JC: Of all the sports, where do you think ice hockey ranks in terms of a challenge to broadcast on radio?

ML:I think broadcasting hockey on radio is a distinct challenge. Part of the reason is that most people don't know the game as well as baseball, football and basketball. But as a broadcaster, I take the same approach to broadcasting hockey on radio as any other sport. Be descriptive and detailed. For me, basketball is the sport that is the biggest challenge to announce.

JC: How has your style as a play-by-play announcer evolved over your long career?

ML: I compare my career to that of a musician. I think a musician gets to a certain point when, out of nowhere, he gets the feeling that he has total control of what he is doing - the music he is playing. It took me a number of seasons in Pittsburgh, maybe eight or nine, to feel that I had arrived at that point.

But that doesn't mean I'm not continuing to hone my craft. I like to think that I am always improving the way I present the games. But I think my core style of being descriptive, detailed and enthusiastic was cemented a long time ago.

JC: How do you judge your work?

ML: All announcers are entertainers. And as an entertainer, I've had games that grew on me. I got the feeling that I was having a great game and knew it at the end.

I don't rate my announcing in each game. I try to be consistent from the first game of the season to the last.

But after some games, I walk away knowing that I've excelled. Maybe because of the words I used. Maybe because of how I "built the book" -- brought the game to the listeners.

That happens maybe six to eight times a year. When it does, I know it.

JC: Does the importance of a game make it easier for you to be at your best as an announcer?

ML: Important games, such as playoff games, can make it easier. Because of what is at stake, both teams usually are putting forth a high level of effort.

But I can also remember being at my best in regular-season games that probably have been forgotten by most people. Some games in the old Chicago Stadium come to mind.

I always looked forward to calling games in Chicago Stadium. And I think my work reflected how much I enjoyed the crowd and the atmosphere in the building.

After some games at Chicago Stadium, I was so pleased with my effort that I walked out of there thinking that I owned the city of Chicago. That building got me going.

I've always said that if a player couldn't get up for a game in Chicago Stadium, he couldn't get up for any game. Chicago Stadium really pumped me up. So it isn't mandatory for a lot to be riding on a game in order for me to be at my best.

JC: When you get behind the microphone for each game, what do you want to accomplish on behalf of the fans, who are on the other end of your commentary?

ML: I hope that each game gives me a chance to "build a book" for the fans. It's easier to do this on radio than on television. And in some games, it's not possible because the score is one-sided.

But in games that are in doubt, I can control how the book is written for the fans. I can feel the emotion and the ebb and flow of the game en route to it reaching a crescendo. I do my best to share all of that with the fans.

And because of my depth of experience, there are times when I can sense exactly what is going to happen in a game. When I am correct, it's always a powerful moment for me. But I'm even happier that I'm able to share that high level of insight with the fans.

I learned early on that as an announcer, you have no idea how many people are listening to games. I believe it was (the late) Bob Prince (long-time announcer for the Pirates) who made this point. A lot of people who listen to the games are shut-ins. And some of them are blind.

I need to describe the game as if the person who is listening can't see it. If you think about that from a radio perspective, it makes perfect sense. So it's important for me to provide detail for the listeners when I think it's important, such as whether the player shoots right-handed or left-handed. I think that detail can add so much to a broadcast. But because it can be so simple, it can sometimes be overlooked (by the announcer).

JC: Can you share some of the memories of your seasons with the Penguins that you'll always treasure?

ML: Scotty Bowman is in there. I learned so much from him about hockey in the three seasons he was in Pittsburgh. I could learn more from Scotty in a half hour than I could learn from most people in a year. He was so valuable at expanding my horizons and helping me learn about the game.

Scotty is one of the many great, great people I've worked with and met since I arrived in Pittsburgh in 1974. I still truly enjoy what I am doing. I've been very blessed.

Being inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame is very special to me, especially since I grew up as a kid in California.

And there are memories of the games and players that I'll treasure. I can still in my mind's eye Mario (Lemieux) coming up the ice. I can still see still see (Paul) Coffey, Lowell MacDonald, Pierre Larouche and many other Penguins.

I've been through good times and bad times with the Penguins. In some seasons, the Penguins have won a lot of games. In other seasons, they've lost a lot of games. They appear to be back on the upswing.

I take it as it comes and run with it. I approach every broadcast the same way regardless of whether the Penguins are the best team in the league or the worst team in the league.

(Bowman arguably is the greatest head coach in the history of the National Hockey League. He has won the most games in the regular-season -- 1, 224 - and the playoffs - 223.

In addition, Bowman won has won the most Stanley Cup championships as a head coach - nine (five with the Montreal Canadians, three with the Detroit Red Wings and one with the Penguins in 1991-92). He also has won two more Stanley Cup championships while working in an executive capacity - one with the Penguins in 1990-91 and one with the Red Wings.

Bowman was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1991 as a Builder.

Bowman was Director of Player Personnel in 1990-91 when the Penguins, led by head coach "Badger" Bob Johnson, won their first Stanley Cup. After Johnson's death due to cancer in the summer of 1991, Bowman was the head coach for two seasons.

In 1991-92, Bowman led the Penguins to a second consecutive Stanley Cup. In 1992-93, Bowman led the Penguins to the Presidents' Trophy. They finished the regular season in first place overall with a franchise-high 119 points. But the quest for a third straight Stanley Cup was derailed in the second round of the playoffs. The New York Islanders upset the Penguins in seven games, winning Game 7 in Pittsburgh in the first overtime.

Bowman left the Penguins to become head coach of the Red Wings for the 1993-94 season.

Bowman is still active in an executive capacity. He joined the Chicago Black Hawks as Senior Advisor of Hockey Operations for the 2008-09 season.)

JC: One of my favorite moments in Penguins' history was wing George Ferguson's overtime goal in the deciding game of the first-round playoff series against the Buffalo Sabres in 1979. What do you remember about that goal?

ML: I almost fell out of the booth at the old Aud (Buffalo Memorial Auditorium) when Ferguson scored.

It was pretty unique for a number of reasons. The series was only best-of-three games. Ferguson scored in the first minute of the first overtime to stun the Sabres and the home crowd. And as it turned out, the visiting team won each game in the series. The Penguins won Game 1 in Buffalo The Sabres won Game 2 in Pittsburgh. And the "Fergie Flyer" gave the Penguins the win in Game 3 in Buffalo. (The Penguins advanced to a best-of-seven quarterfinal series. The Boston Bruins ended the Penguins' season by sweeping the series.)

From where I was sitting, I had a perfect angle on the goal. Ferguson, who shot right-handed, picked up the puck at center ice along the near (left) boards. He came off the boards and had a clear path in on the goaltender (Bob Sauve) on the off (left) wing.

I knew Ferguson's speed would give him a (breakaway) chance. The only question was whether he would score or not. He stuffed the puck in.

Ferguson's goal was early in my time with the Penguins. Twenty-two years later, I called another overtime goal in Buffalo that enabled the Penguins to win the deciding game of a playoff series. That one was scored by Darius Kasparaitis in the new building (HSBC Arena).

(A most unlikely hero, defenseman Kasparaitis scored in the second overtime of Game 7 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series in 2001. It was the second and last goal Kasparaitis scored in 83 playoff games in his career.)

JC: After covering series-winning goals by George Ferguson and Darius Kasparaitis in sudden-death overtime, I'd like to shift to your appearance in the movie, "Sudden Death."

(Lange played himself as the play-by-play announcer for the Penguins in the movie, which was filmed in 1994 during the lockout of NHL players by team owners and released in 1995. Jean-Claude Van Damme was the star of the action-packed thriller in which a Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals between the Penguins and the Chicago Black Hawks was a key component. The Game 7 was played in the Pittsburgh Civic Arena, the home of the Penguins, which is now known as Mellon Arena.)

Why was the movie set in Pittsburgh at the Civic Arena? I'm from the old school and continue to call the building the Civic Arena.

ML: Howard Baldwin was the owner of the Penguins at the time. He also was a movie producer. "Sudden Death" is one of his movies. So "the Igloo" (the nickname of the arena due to the distinctive shape of its stainless steel roof) is where he wanted the movie to be set.

(In the credits for "Sudden Death, " Howard Baldwin is listed as an Associate Producer.)

JC: I didn't know that Howard Baldwin was involved with the "Sudden Death." Thus, it's only natural that you would play yourself as the Penguins' play-by-play announcer. Did you have any input into your lines you had in the movie? Or did the director just ask you to announce what you saw happening on the ice as only you can?

ML: Originally, my role in the movie was going to be small. But it grew as shooting progressed.

I had a very good working relationship with the director - Peter Hyams. I had a number of long discussions with Peter because he wanted to learn more about the game of hockey. I was happy to share my knowledge with him as others have shared their knowledge of hockey with me during my career as a broadcaster.

Most of my play-by-play announcing in the movie was ad-lib. The NHL players were locked out by the owners. And the actors who portrayed the players were all local guys. That made it a challenge for me to announce in the movie.

Each actor wore an actual NHL jersey. On the back of they jersey was the name of the NHL players who wears it. None of the actors looked like the NHL player he was portraying.

It was almost as if my eyes were deceiving me. I wasn't seeing, for example, Ron Francis of the Penguins or Jeremy Roenick of the Black Hawks. But I was announcing that I was seeing them.

Participating in the movie was an interesting experience for me. But it also was a long and taxing process.

Making a movie takes a great deal of work. Most people don't realize that. Sometimes, we'd be there until all hours late at night. And the finished product is the result of a great deal of hard, hard work by a lot of people - everyone involved from the actors to the people who arrange the sets. It's a very, very involved process.