New York Rangers Daily: Saluting Sam Rosen; Oilers injured superstars each out at least 1 week
To me, Sam Rosen is not only a broadcasting legend, a Hockey Hall of Famer who’s been the iconic voice of the New York Rangers for 40 years. He’s a friend.
I first met Sam when I was a young reporter covering the Rangers in the 1990s. We had a mutual friend, Bill Parrinello, who produced my hockey talk show Rink Rap back then, and also regularly landed tickets from Sam to Rangers games at the Garden. Our mutual connection with Billy opened the door to a friendship that lasts to this day.
Sam would hold court in the old press room at MSG, and I can remember sitting in on conversations during good times — like the Stanley Cup run in 1994 — and bad — how about that season before when the Blueshirts face-planted and failed to qualify for the playoffs?
There for a while we were in opposite booths, when I broadcasted for a number of years with the Islanders. He was always supportive of my work when we crossed paths.
When I started working for the Rangers as their in-house beat reporter — remember the Blueshirts United web site? — I got to know Sam even better. Traveling on the same team flights gave us the chance often to sit together and shoot the shit, as they say. Sam was most often the goal-scorer in our conversations and I was the playmaker, setting him up with questions so he would launch into another story.
Let me tell you, Sam can spin a yarn. Great storyteller. Funny, knows how to deliver a punchline — typically punctuated with a booming laugh. I soaked it all in. It was mainly Rangers stories, but we talked a lot of football and baseball, kids and family, too.
I don’t have the trove of stories Sam does from my career. But it’d always be fun to get Sam to laugh when I shared a fun nugget as he was sat at the back of the plane together.
Those are special memories. And one of my many takeaways of Sam is that he’s the same upbeat, big personality you see on television in real life. Sam’s so good at what he does professionally because he’s just being Sam. He loves the Rangers. He loves sports. He loves storytelling. He loves his partners — now Joe Micheletti, before that John Davidson and Phil Esposito. That comes through your TV screen and into your home because Sam is real.
I don’t work for the Rangers any more, so don’t see Sam on the daily basis I used to. But we remain friends, and he’ll always reply right back to a text and is always willing to help with anything I need. I was among the first to interview him after Sam announced last summer he’d retire at the end of this season.
I’m sad to know he won’t be around his beloved Rangers next season. But I’m thrilled that he’s being feted in pretty much every visiting arena the Rangers play in this season. I hope he soaks in the love from the Blueshirts Faithful when the Rangers honor him prior to their game against the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday afternoon.
He deserves his special day.
Thank you Sam for the incredible on-air memories and off-air friendship.
This one will last a lifetime.
Related: Sam Rosen dishes on Rangers broadcast partners in reflective Rink Rap interview
New York Rangers news
Here are three things to watch for when the Rangers host the Canucks on Saturday, including the first meeting since the J.T. Miller trade (and the Carson Soucy one, too!).
Miller explained how the reunion with his former teammates will go down this weekend.
Here’s why the Rangers are changing up their power-play units Saturday.
Here are the winners and losers from the Rangers third straight loss, 4-3 to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday.
And here are our three Rangers takeaways from that loss to the Maple Leafs.
NHL news and rumors
The Edmonton Oilers won’t have superstars Connor McDavid nor Leon Draisaitl in the lineup for roughly the next week. Each is out with an unspecified injury. The Oilers are second in the Pacific Division, trying to hold off the Los Angeles Kings are two points behind with two games in hand.
The Oilers did receive some positive injury news Friday. Goalie Stuart Skinner is expected to start against the Seattle Kraken on Saturday after he passed concussion-related tests. Skinner was pulled in the third period Thursday by a concussion spotter in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets.
It’s been a stunning freefall this season for the Nashville Predators, and coach Andrew Brunette publicly called out his veteran core after their latest loss, 4-1 at home to the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday.
A statue of Wayne Gretzky outside of Rogers Place in Edmonton was vandalized and “desecrated” this week.
The Washington Capitals were the first team to clinch a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs this season. The Winnipeg Jets could become the second team to do so, and first from the Western Conference, on Saturday, even though they don’t play. Here’s how it can happen.
The Ottawa Senators have lost two in a row and looking to juice their offensive attack. So, it appears they’ll load up their top line by adding newcomer Fabian Zetterlund with Brady Tkachuk and Tim Stutzle.
Alex Nedeljkovic made 44 saves to lead the Pittsburgh Penguins past the Columbus Blue Jackets 6-3. The Blue Jackets continue to fade in the Eastern Conference playoff race; they are 0-5-1 since that 7-3 win against the Rangers at MSG two weeks ago.
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