The New York Rangers’ local TV broadcasts are going to look very different next season. Veteran play-by-play voice Sam Rosen announced ahead of the 2024-25 season, his 40th as their lead TV voice, that this campaign would be the last one for him. And following the season, Rosen’s long-time analyst partner Joe Micheletti also announced his retirement:
Here’s more from that release:
Joe Micheletti, one of the most respected sports broadcasters in the business, is retiring from the MSG Networks New York Rangers TV booth after 19 seasons. Micheletti began his MSG Networks career as the New York Islanders TV analyst in 1998 and joined Sam Rosen on MSG Networks’ Rangers broadcasts in 2006.
“From pond hockey in Minnesota, to the bright lights of Broadway, my hockey journey has been a magical ride,” said Micheletti. “My wife Kathy and I have been thinking about this for a few years, and we decided that now is the right time to retire, and we look forward to spending more time with our family. This career has been so special because of the amazing people that I’ve worked with at every stop along the way. Thank you to my remarkable family at MSG Networks, to the Rangers organization, and to all the teams that allowed me to do what I love for 40 years.”
“Joe’s experience as a player and coach, his good humor, his unparalleled preparation, his polished on-air skills, and his love of hockey combined to make him one of the hockey world’s premier analysts,” MSG Networks president and CEO Andrea Greenberg said. “MSG Networks and its viewers have been lucky to have him for 27 years as part of our broadcast team, the last 19 as our Rangers TV analyst. We thank Joe for those many years of outstanding service and wish him the very best in his retirement.”
It’s certainly notable to see Joe Micheletti moving on after all this time. And speculation on who might replace him has already begun. Neil Best of Newsday cited long-time radio analyst Dave Maloney (who’s spent much of that time working with Kenny Albert, who’s set to replace Rosen as the main play-by-play voice) as one candidate, with past MSG studio analyst Brian Boyle as another option. Andrew Marchand of The Athletic also mentioned Maloney, but added ESPN’s Ryan Callahan (who played for the Rangers from 2006-14, and captained the team from 2011-14) as another candidate.
Beyond his work with the Rangers, Micheletti played a significant role on many national broadcasts. Following a playing career that saw him play in 158 NHL games, he called hockey at five different Olympics (1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, and 2010) across three networks (TNT, CBS, and NBC), and also worked on national TV NHL broadcasts for Fox and Versus/NBCSN/NBC, plus many national radio broadcasts. Locally, he called games for the St. Louis Blues and Minnesota North Stars before joining MSG’s Islanders team in 1998 and their Rangers’ team in 2006. He also spent time as a Blues’ assistant coach.
Regardless of who the Rangers and MSG pick to replace Micheletti, this is another change for a broadcast that had had remarkable continuity. It will be interesting to see where these telecasts go from here, and how viewers react to the changes. (If you have thoughts on Micheletti and Rosen’s final season, grade them in our NHL local announcers poll, open through Friday night.)