Penguins honour late Hall of Fame broadcaster Mike Lange during emotional pregame ceremony

The Pittsburgh Penguins pay tribute to Penguins Hockey Hall of Fame announcer Mike Lange before an NHL hockey game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals in Pittsburgh, Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins honoured Hall of Fame broadcaster Mike Lange during an emotional ceremony before Saturday’s game against Washington.

Lange, who died on Wednesday at 76, called Penguin games for 46 years and spent five decades in broadcasting before retiring in 2021.

The Penguins invited Lange’s two sons, their families, and some of Lange’s former broadcasting partners onto the ice before the opening faceoff. Longtime Pittsburgh captain Sidney Crosby along with Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang greeted them and then stood alongside them during a lengthy video package that featured some of Lange’s iconic sayings, from “It’s a hockey night in Pittsburgh” to “he beat him like a rented mule.”

Fans finished the ceremony by giving Lange a long, loud standing ovation while one of his sons flashed a sign that read “Thank you Pittsburgh.”

The team placed a large picture of Lange next to a table filled with a vase of yellow roses and a set of headphones along the lower concourse at PPG Paints Arena. There was another gathering of flowers and another set of headphones inside one of the radio booths on the press level, which was named after Lange in 2019.

The Penguins sported stickers on the back of their black helmets with a microphone and headphones set against a gold background.

Lange spent nearly five decades chronicling the franchise’s rise from also-ran to Stanley Cup champion five times over, his unique delivery and quirky sayings serving as the soundtrack for iconic moments from Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux and longtime running mate Jaromir Jagr to current stars Crosby and Malkin.

The Hockey Hall of Fame inducted Lange in 2001 when he received the Foster Hewitt Award for broadcast excellence.

The Associated Press