Sam Rosen is almost ready to stop living a dream.
Rosen, the longtime voice of the New York Rangers on MSG Networks, announced Tuesday, one day after his 77th birthday, that this season would be his last in the broadcast booth.
"This is what I grew up on," Rosen told NHL.com. "I grew up in New York. I grew up in Brooklyn. I grew up as a Rangers fan. To do this for as long as I have is unbelievable. You don't keep count while you're doing it but when you reach this point you can look back and say, 'Hey, this has been a pretty good run.' And, of course, 1994 makes it the ultimate because they won the biggest prize of all, and they won it at the Garden, and nothing could be better than that."
Rosen began calling Rangers games with MSG in 1977-78 as the backup to Marv Albert on the radio and Jim Gordon on the television side. He signed his first full-time contract with the network in September of 1982, when he was the MSG Networks studio host, and became the Rangers main television broadcaster in 1984-85.
This season will be his 40th as the Rangers' full-time play-by-play announcer.
Rosen is known for his signature call, "It's a power-play goal," and for his legendary call of the Rangers winning the Stanley Cup in 1994, when he said at the buzzer of their Game 7 win against the Vancouver Canucks, "The waiting is over. The New York Rangers are the Stanley Cup champions. And this one will last a lifetime."
"After growing up as a Rangers fan listening to Sam on television, it's been an absolute pleasure to get to know him on a personal level in my years as a player and executive," Rangers general manager and president Chris Drury said. "Sam will forever be connected with New York Rangers hockey and Sam and his family will always be a part of our Rangers family."
Rosen is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame, having been named the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award winner in 2016. Rosen was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2008 and this summer was inducted into the New York State Hockey Hall of Fame.
Rosen also called a variety of sports for ESPN from 1979-88. He was MSG Networks boxing commentator from 1982-93. He called the Stanley Cup Final on NHL Radio from 1996-2008 and the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics. He also called NFL games on Fox for more than 20 years.
Through his time at MSG Networks, Rosen has had three main broadcast partners. He worked his first two seasons with Phil Esposito, the next 19 with John Davidson, and this season will be his 19th with Joe Micheletti.
"Forty-plus years of brilliance in the booth, with an unparalleled passion and love for the fans, the sport, the athletes, the coaches and everyone associated with the NHL," Micheletti said. "You've made all of those that work with you better people and you've helped us all reach heights that would not have been achievable without your support. You have included all of us on your crowded list of friends. For all these reasons and many more, your legacy will last a lifetime."
Rosen said the decision to retire at the end of the coming season is personal and came about in a family discussion, which had been ongoing for a while.
"It's always how long do you want to do this? How long do you want to keep going?" Rosen said. "I've always felt as long as I'm feeling good and I'm excited about it and I still love going out on the road and still love doing the games then that's fine. What happens is every year that passes the tough parts wane a little bit. The travel gets a little more difficult. The games are never a problem. The games are what I look forward to the most. But the realization comes that it's time to say, 'OK, you've had a great run and go out while you're still strong and the people appreciate what you're doing.'
"If you're going to go out, you want to go out on top and feeling good about things, and I do."
He said having a swansong season is important because it allows him to go around the League and say goodbye to friends while slowly adjusting to the realization that it's over.
"I just hope for a great season," Rosen said. "I know work-wise it's great because I work with some of the greatest people you could ever meet and be with and work with and travel with. I'm just hoping the Rangers have a good run in them and that I can be part of it, and we'll go out with a bang."
