Sam Rosen to Miss Conference Finals After Health Scare
By Marvin Azrak
As the New York Rangers continue their fight in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Florida Panthers, they confront a significant change in the broadcast booth. The absence of Sam Rosen, the iconic voice of the Rangers on MSG, due to a health issue, is a notable development that will surely be felt by the fans.
On Wednesday's episode of The Michael Kay Show on ESPN New York, Don La Greca mentioned that Rosen had been grappling with bouts of dizziness and had to spend some time in the hospital recently. According to a report, Rosen was hospitalized after collapsing while watching his grandson's high school basketball game. However, the Hall of Fame broadcaster cannot travel and will miss the first four games of this series. Meanwhile, Kenny Albert calls the Western Conference finals between the Edmonton Oilers and Dallas Stars on TNT. While Rosen is on the road to recovery, La Greca will be stepping in to cover Games 2, 3, and 4.
With the playoffs advancing beyond the first round, national broadcasting rights have come into effect. This means that, unfortunately, the familiar voices of MSG, including La Greca, will not be heard. Instead, fans can tune in to ESPN radio to catch all the action, with La Greca and Rangers legend Dave Maloney providing the commentary.
As for whether Rosen will be back if the Rangers advance past the Florida Panthers and into the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 2014, that's still up in the air. We'll have to wait and see how things unfold. Rosen has been calling Rangers games since the 1984-85 season and has the famous "This one will last a lifetime" call after the Blueshirts won the Stanley Cup 30 years ago. He will forever be synonymous with New York Rangers hockey. Hopefully, he will have another opportunity to call a title-winning moment this year.