While the Rangers struggle this season, one constant in Madison Square Garden broadcasts has remained: Sam Rosen. After 40 years of calling Rangers games, Rosen is retiring, leaving behind a legacy of energy, passion, and nostalgia that has defined New York hockey. As his final season unfolds amid the team’s playoff struggles, Rosen offers a reminder: it’s not just about wins and losses but the bond that unites the hockey community.
On New Ice City: A Podcast About the New York Rangers, Rosen spoke with host Vincent Mercogliano about his legacy. “It’s been a great run; it’s been a great season for me, and again, it’s a great reminder of the fabulous hockey community we exist in. People are very strong and very passionate. And that’s what I love about hockey people—their passion for the game, wanting it to be the best it can be.”
The relationships he built in the sport were evident when the Rangers’ rivals, the San Jose Sharks, commemorated Rosen’s career in a recent game.
Rosen also weighed in on the Rangers’ performance this season. When asked how he felt with only a few games left, he admitted, “It’ll get more and more emotional. That’s why I said to you and everyone else in the room, I want to drag the Rangers into the playoffs and extend the career a little bit with some exciting playoff games.”
Despite his legendary presence in the booth, Rosen knows he can only watch as the Rangers fight for a playoff spot. He has long dreamed of seeing them succeed in his final season but admits all he can do now is hope. Looking back, Rosen recalls other challenges in his career, including replacing his broadcasting hero, Jim Gordon.
Sam Rosen speaks on the difficult task of replacing his hero Jim Gordon in the Madison Square Garden commentator booth
For Rosen, his path into his career was both a dream and daunting. He was tasked with having to replace the job of his longtime hero and inspiration, Jim Gordon. Rosen recalls the period as being “an emotional time,” adding that “Jim was a very proud man with great skills. He’d proven himself as a terrific broadcaster in New York… He was the morning anchorman at WINS in the early days when they had just gone all news. And he would have that shift from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m.”
Rosen continued to explain how difficult the task of taking over from Gordon was, as Gordon, in fact, played a big part in the start of Rosen’s career. “He put me on the air when I was a statistician on Knicks basketball in 1970.” Rosen stated, adding. “He said, ‘Here, these are your stats,’ and he pushed the microphone in front of me, and I did the stats at halftime and at the end of the game with a little commentary thrown in.”
So, as Sam Rosen signs off on his 40-year career at Madison Square Garden, he makes it clear that he has much more to carry with him than the current standing of the Rangers. Though, when Mercogliano credits Rosen with the Rangers victory against the Canucks this past Saturday, saying, “If I’m being honest with you, I didn’t think the team played well against the Canucks on Saturday, but somehow they pulled it off, and I think there was some Sam Rosen magic going on in the building that day,” Rosen is sure to add, “That’s a win we can put on your ledger right there, Sam. Thank you, I’ll take it.”
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