“This is what I grew up on,” Sam Rosen said, as he announced that the time had come for him to hang up his boots. Last year, Rosen announced that he would be retiring after the end of the current season. He will bid adieu to the sport after 40 years in service as the broadcast announcer for the New York Rangers. Being the voice of the Rangers on the MSG Networks for four decades, Rosen enjoyed many memorable moments with the team. However, one of the social media handles bluntly disrespected Rosen which invited the wrath of the Rangers fans.

Recently, a post went viral on social media, ranking the broadcast announcers in the NHL. While those of the Kings and the Capitals stood high up on that list, the Rangers were placed at the bottom of the list, below the bad section. This was a harsh insult to Rosen’s legacy, who has been one of the longest-serving announcers in the NHL.

Calling the games since the 1977-78 season as an associate, he was 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. And recently, the Rangers celebrated his legacy in a special pre-game ceremony. And boy was the aura in the Madison Square Garden ecstatic!

The fans cheered loudly for him and started chanting his name just like they have done for their outstanding players. The overwhelming yet touching response made Rosen take a step back and tap on his chest while he continued to wave to his fans. Further, on the blue carpet, he was joined by his wife, Jill, and three broadcast partners namely Phil Esposito, John Davidson, and Joe Micheletti.

And for a little kid who grew up in Brooklyn, watching such a tribute was certainly emotional as the Rangers played a video of the former players talking about him. His fellow broadcaster Micheletti also presented him with a home Rangers jersey with the No. 40 on it. The cherry on top? It was signed by the entire team along with a gold microphone.

Yet after many memorable calls made by him, a fan page tried to tarnish his legacy, which didn’t go down well with the Rangers’ fanbase.

Fans condemn brutal disrespect to Sam Rosen

With not much time left in Rosen’s career, this was the last thing that he would have wanted. Nonetheless, the Rangers fans got together and defended him after he was placed at the bottom of the announcers’ tier list. One of the fans said, “It’s truly stunning to me how many fanbases hate the Rangers over their natural rivals. It’s not like we’re the Yankees or something,” comparing it to the Yankees’ domination in baseball.

Further, a section of fans even explained how biased the list was based on the fanpage’s favoritism to particular teams. “Clearly biased list but also Caps announcers are absolutely awful lmao,” a fan wrote, as he was also not happy with the Capitals’ announcer, Joseph Edward Beninati, who was placed at the top of the list.

On the other hand, one fan absolutely trashed the list as it was a huge disrespect to Rosen’s legacy. The fan commented, “This list is s—, made up by someone with an inferiority complex. The Tampa announcers are complete garbage, and actually the Washington announcers are awful too, I can’t stand listening to those two. Basically the only thing on this graph that is accurate is Debbies=bad.” 

The Tampa Bay Lightning’s TV play-by-play announcer is Dave Randorf, while their radio play-by-play announcer is Dave Mishkin, and the fan post puts them right on top of the elite section while the announcer from Washington falls in the elite category.

However, a Reddit user later explained why Rosen was placed at the bottom of the list. The fan wrote, “Lighting fans made this, so who knows,” as he questioned the mere existence of this list. And if we know one thing then it is the rivalry that exists between the two teams owing to their playoff history and physical play. Just look at the 2015 Eastern Conference where the Lightining defeated the Rangers in seven games and advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals. Then there is the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals, where Tampa Bay again eliminated the New York in six games, and the Rangers’ journey to the Stanley Cup was cut short.

Lastly, one of the fans honored Rosen and dismissed the list angrily, saying, “This fills me with an unexplainable rage.Sam describe the game Is like watching Hockey with your grandpa and can tell he just loves the game. This type of slander will not stand and I will be declaring w– post haste.” With 40 years dedicated to the game, one could have hardly asked anything more from Rosen.

Thus, it was a surprise that the Rangers’ announcer was placed at the bottom of the list. While such debates are not uncommon among the various fan bases, this was a major disrespect to one of the most decorated announcers in the NHL. What do you think? Share your thoughts with us!