“I think that as each year moves along, things become just a little bit harder,” were the words from Sam Rosen as he bid adieu to his illustrious career that spanned forty years. The 77-year-old has been a loyal servant of the New York Rangers over the years, but the time has come for him to hang up his boots. As Rosen leaves the NHL world, the Rangers announced his replacement, which left the fans in a frenzy.
According to several reports, the legendary play-by-play man Kenny Albert will replace Rosen as the Rangers’ announcer starting in the 2025-26 season. Albert has served as the lead voice for the NHL on Turner Sports. Moreover, he is no stranger to his new team, having served as the Rangers’ radio voice for 29 years since the 1995-96 season. With his great experience with the team, fans were excited about what was to come with Albert behind the mic.
Meanwhile, Albert had nothing but praise for Sam Rosen as he prepares to feature in Rosen’s final game against the Lightning later this week. “He’s one of the greatest of all time. I’ve been listening to Sam for 40 years now, since he started with the Rangers in 84, and have been really close with Sam. Since 95, when I started with the Rangers, we’ve sat next to each other on the team charter flights,” Albert said about Rosen. With Albert taking over the duties from Rosen, fans revealed their excitement over this.
Fans rejoice as Sam Rosen’s ideal successor announced
When Rosen announced his retirement after the 2024-25 season, questions arose about who would replace him behind the mic for the Rangers. However, the team announced a solid replacement in the form of Albert, much to the delight of the fans. One of the fans on social media heaped massive praise on Albert after he was confirmed to replace Rosen, saying, “Best big game announcer in the league.” Albert has had a massive experience in the NHL, which would come into good effect while serving the Rangers.
Best big game announcer in the league
— ORCA (@wrcaifear) April 14, 2025
As the fans celebrated Albert’s announcement as Sam Rosen’s replacement, a section of fans rued the fact that the latter couldn’t have an ideal sendoff as the Rangers were out of the Stanley Cup Playoff race. “It was the only right choice. Happy to have him but wish Sam had a better last season than this,” wrote a fan, who had mixed feelings as Rosen left and Albert joined the Rangers. Currently, Albert also serves the role of the lead NHL play-by-play voice for TNT, apart from other duties. Fans have become used to watching him there and one of them said, “Damn, gonna miss him on the TNT broadcasts.” Nonetheless, the fan was happy that the Rangers found an ideal replacement for Rosen.
Subsequently, some fans dubbed Albert to achieve the same greatness as Rosen while serving for the Rangers. One fan thought that Albert was “the most underrated announcer of all time,” despite being the face of TNT for many years. Lastly, one of the Twitter users also had another suggestion apart from Albert to replace Rosen. The fan wrote, “I like Kenny Albert a lot, but I would’ve loved to see them go with @DonLagreca here. His passion is infectious.” LaGreca is the radio host of the Rangers and has served in this role for a decade now.
With Sam Rosen nearing the end of his illustrious career, it would bring about a massive shift for the Rangers fans. However, with the replacement being in the form of Albert, fans can rest assured of a smooth transition next season.
The post Sam Rosen’s Replacement Faces New Yorkers’ True Feelings After Rangers Announcement appeared first on EssentiallySports.