Thursday, 07 May 2026

    Mike Lange

    • Contest: The US Athletic Hall of Fame - Commentators 2026
    • Embed from Getty Images
    • Sport(s): Hockey
    • Statistics & Accolades: Foster Hewitt Memorial Award
    • You would not think that a folksy announcer would click in a blue-collar city in a winter sport, but Mike Lange did just that for the Pittsburgh Penguins as their voice for 46 years.

      After calling games for two Western Hockey League Teams (the San Diego Gulls and the Phoenix Roadrunners), Lange joined the Penguins in 1974. But the Pens were on the verge of bankruptcy, and there was no guarantee the team would continue, so he left after one year. He returned in 1976 and would stay until he retired in 2021.

      The first ten years of Lange’s stay in Pittsburgh were tenuous, as they were in perpetual financial problems, but he stuck with it, and with the arrival of Mario Lemieux and later Sidney Crosby, hockey exploded in Western Pennsylvania, and it was Lange’s friendly calls that set the narration from the bottom to the top.

      Lange had the privilege of calling five Stanley Cup Championships for Pittsburgh, and many consider him one of the most important figures in Penguins hockey.

      We are proud to nominate Mike Lange for the United States Athletic Hall of Fame.
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