Even with Lange retired from broadcasting this a crushing blow. He has been the spirit of the Penguins since he arrived before many of us were born in 1974. Mike Lange is as important as any Penguin player in the franchise’s history, which of course includes Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Sidney Crosby, and Evgeni Malkin. He was the star and lead attraction in many of the early years when the team was struggling. His catch phrases and ability to encapsulate such a chaotic sport were what got people to tune in and stick around when they easily could have done something else. Once he earned everyone’s attention he also provided an entire region an education on this new sport even though he was a newbie himself. He entertained and taught and there are few better legacies to leave behind than that.
Ask anybody, literally anybody, who worked at the arena whether it was a writer, blogger, other announcers, rink staff, you name it, and they will tell you Mike Lange was one of the nicest and kindest people around. He was an absolute juggernaut of a personality, but had time for everybody. So while the catch phrases and goal calls are what people will likely remember most, the fortunate ones who were able to cross paths with him will all likely remember the quality of human being he was and how he treated others. In a lot of ways Mike Lange was like Pittsburgh hockey’s Mr. Rogers. Teaching, entertaining, and leading with empathy and kindness.
Mike Lange is the soundtrack to our favorite Penguins hockey moments. He is the soundtrack to the Lemieux/Jagr and Crosby/Malkin era. Some of those moments are the best the sport has ever seen which makes him the soundtrack for many others outside the Penguins community. His famous he shoots and scores goal call had nuance and variation based on the importance of the goal or just how amazed he was at various Lemieux, Jagr, Crosby, and Malkin plays over the years.
His catch phrases were unique to him and there were many of them.
My personal favorite(s) were: he beat him like a rented mule, he doesn’t know whether to cry or wind his watch, get in the fast lane grandma the bingo game is ready to roll, and if you missed this one shame on you for six weeks. There were of course many many many more and here’s two and a half hour video of Mike Lange being Mike Lange to hear pretty much all of them
Before the luxury of youtube it wasn’t always easy to find what audio you were looking for, let alone video. The early era of the internet had random places where people would just put the things they love out there for others to randomly find. Well, I found this geocities site
and I cant be the only middle school kid who would play his catch phrases over and over to get my Mike Lange fix. As an out of market kid iit allowed me to feel a connection to the Penguins broadcaster and I love that it is still active today.
Mike Lange’s reach and impact on those of us in the Penguins community is indelible. When people look back on two of the best eras a franchise has ever had he will be one of the main characters. We will never lose that even though we lost Mike yesterday. Given his importance to the organization and the community I think there is one more fitting tribute necessary to give him his due. I believe he should be honored with a statue outside of the arena. If he truly is as important as any player in franchise history, and he is, then he deserves the full treatment.
From the bottom of all of our hearts, thank you Mike Lange for being an absolute icon. Thank you for for all the teaching, the smiles, the laughs, and navigating all the ups and downs along the way. Thank you for making the Penguins feel authentic.
Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has just left the building.
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