Rangers vs. Canucks: For Sam
The New York Rangers did not deserve to win. But Sam Rosen deserved to call a win on Sam Rosen Night. So they found a way to win it anyway.
- Sam Rosen's voice is New York Rangers hockey. There aren't a ton of guys you can really say as a broadcaster are inextricably tied to a franchise, and the ones you can name are true legends like Vin Scully and Jack Buck. There are even fewer of them in the modern era. Sam Rosen's voice is attached to every big moment, big play, big goal, big hit, and big win—particularly the biggest on June 14, 1994—for multiple generations of Rangers fans. Nearly every great Rangers moment we can recall in our minds has Sam's voice narrating it. If anyone around you mentions the words "power play goal," your brain probably immediately transforms it into Sam's exclamation, "it's a power play goal!"
- As I've told you all before, I didn't grow up in the New York area. When I got into hockey, my options were ESPN's National Hockey Night, expanded hockey coverage on ESPN2, and local broadcasts of the St. Louis Blues. But I knew Sam's voice from the VHS cassette MSG produced in celebration of the 1993-94 Stanley Cup championship team, narrated by the late Al Trautwig, and obviously featuring many of Sam and John Davidson's calls throughout the season. But technology finally brought Sam's voice into my home, first through the DirecTV NHL package and now through streaming packages. While I haven't been able to enjoy Sam as much or for as long as many of you, he's still obviously inseparable from my New York Rangers experience. It just won't be the same without him calling Rangers games next year. Sure, it'll still be pretty comfortable since we all know it'll be Kenny Albert in the booth. But it won't ever be the same again.
- What an incredible broadcasting career, Sam Rosen. Enjoy retirement. We'll miss the hell out of you.
- Now, let's talk about that game. Actually, let me paint a picture of it in a few images:
✍️ Scoring Chances Report @NYRangers vs @Canucks
— Stephen Valiquette (@VallysView) March 23, 2025
🤨 Improbable Win #NYR
Data Courtesy of @csahockey pic.twitter.com/uvp7pnm82T
- That's some Sam Rosen magic right there if I've ever seen it. The Rangers had no business whatsoever winning that hockey game. If this were just any game, I'd dwell on that and what it says about this team and this season from hell, and how foolish all of the playoffs talk was, etc. And, yes, I will do some of that. But let's all just take a moment to enjoy the Sam Rosen magic this team managed to muster in the third period to win on the night they honored their legendary broadcaster.
