All Knicks

Knicks' Mike Breen Pays Tribute to Fellow MSG Voice

New York Knicks broadcaster Mike Breen bid a heartfelt farewell to his fellow icon in MSG broadcasting.

Geoff Magliocchetti

Jan 17, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; ESPN play-by-play announcer Mike Breen during the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Jan 17, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; ESPN play-by-play announcer Mike Breen during the game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
In this story:

New York Knicks voice Mike Breen made sure his fellow Madison Square Garden broadcasting legend went out with a "Bang!"

Amidst Saturday's Knicks game against the Washington Wizards, Breen and broadcasting partner Walt "Clyde" Frazier" took the time to recognize the career of MSG Network colleague Sam Rosen, the tenured voice of the NHL's New York Rangers.

"We consider it an honor and a privilege to work here and there's a certain pressure to uphold the standards, a standard that Sam Rosen has maintained and set for decades," Breen said. "I know I'm one of many, both here at the Garden and throughout the sportscasting industry and the NHL and hockey fans who look up to Sam Rosen."

Rosen, 77, has called Rangers games on MSG for the last four decades and is working through his final season before retirement. That caps off a career that Breen labeled "40 years of sustained excellence."

A tribute to Rosen tipped off a celebratory doubleheader at MSG on Saturday, as the Rangers honored his career prior to their Saturday afternoon game against the Vancouver Canucks.

The Rangers won the game 5-3 but the loudest cheers were clearly reserved for Rosen, who made a heartfelt speech of his own while flanked by his wife Jill and his MSG broadcast partners Phil Esposito, John Davidson, and Joe Micheletti.

"We thank him for showing us how it's done, for setting the bar so high," Breen said. "I can't think of a more fitting person to get that type of treatment here at Madison Square Garden."

In Blueshirts lore, Rosen is perhaps best known for exuberantly declaring "It's a power play goal!" when the Rangers score with a man advantage and for his iconic call of the team's 1994 Stanley Cup victory over the Canucks, which he famously declared would "last a lifetime." Rosen will be back on the call as the Rangers (34-31-6) embark on a West Coast road trip beginning Tuesday in Los Angeles (10:30 p.m. ET, MSG).

Make sure you bookmark Knicks on SI for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns as and so much more!

Published
Geoff Magliocchetti
GEOFF MAGLIOCCHETTI

Editor-In-Chief at All Knicks

Home/News