The Blackhawks are on track to hiring Darren Pang to be their lead TV analyst, sources said. He was a Hawks goalie for parts of three seasons in the 1980s.
Pang’s contract with Bally Sports Midwest, which carries the Blues, expired. He had been the team’s TV analyst for 14 years. He also works for TNT, for whom he’s covering the Stanley Cup Final.
Pang told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch last month that he’s close to signing a three-year extension with the network and that his next team job must accommodate that. It shouldn’t be a problem for the Hawks, who allowed former TV analyst Eddie Olczyk to work for NBC Sports and TNT.
The Blackhawks and NBC Sports Chicago, which carries the team’s games, had no comment.
Pang is beloved in the hockey community for his exuberance, including his trademark “Holy jumpin’!” He’s candid, funny and insightful on the air and has provided commentary from the booth and between the benches.
He would join Chris Vosters, who completed his first full season as the Hawks’ TV play-by-play voice after taking over for Hall of Famer Pat Foley. Troy Murray and Patrick Sharp shared the analyst’s chair. With Pang continuing at TNT, the Hawks still could use either to fill in.
One person who won’t fill in is studio analyst Colby Cohen, who announced on Twitter that he’s leaving the Hawks’ broadcast team. After two years in Chicago, he “decided it’s important for my family to be back close to our family and our home in Philadelphia,” he posted.
More to come ...
