Rosen's current responsibilities include Rangers telecasts and Sunday NFL games for Fox. He is paired with Joe Micheletti on Rangers broadcasts, and Charles Davis, among others, on national Fox broadcasts.
Early history
Rosen was born Samuel Rosenblum in Ulm, Germany, to Polish parents Louis Rosenblum (1915–1987) and the former Gitel Reiner (1915–2006) of Jewish descent just after World War II. His mother was born in Chełm, Poland. The Rosenblum family moved to Brooklyn, New York, when Rosen was 2 years old. As a New York Yankees fan, Rosen became a fan of their broadcaster Mel Allen. Rosen attended Stuyvesant High School and the City College of New York. At both schools, Rosen played catcher and was the captain of the baseball team.[4] He also played intramural basketball, and was on the track team in high school. Rosen grew up with an older brother, Stephen.
Broadcasting career
New York Rangers
From childhood on, Rosen attended numerous New York Rangers games and taped himself doing play-by-play.[2] He was mentored by veteran Rangers broadcaster Jim Gordon, eventually succeeding him in the fall of 1984.[4] From 1982 to 1984, he was the studio host on Ranger broadcasts. Rosen's first partner was ex-Bruin and Ranger star Phil Esposito.[5][6] Starting in 1986–87, when Esposito left to become Rangers general manager, Rosen was paired with former Rangers goaltender John Davidson (nicknamed J.D.). Sam and J.D. lasted 20 years together, the longest-serving NHL broadcast team, before Davidson left for a management position with the St. Louis Blues[7] and later with the Columbus Blue Jackets[8][9] Davidson returned to take over duties as the President of the Rangers on May 17, 2019[10][11] and return to Columbus on May 20, 2021.[12]
Rosen's most famous call comes every time the Rangers score a goal on the power play. The call is simply the name of the player, followed by, "It's a power play goal!", but Rosen uses a unique inflection which has been widely popular among Rangers fans and a staple of any Rangers broadcast.
However, his two most memorable calls came during the Rangers run to the first Stanley Cup in 54 years. First, he called Stéphane Matteau's double overtime goal in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals with:[14]
Matteau moves with the puck. Matteau around the net. Matteau puts it, Score! Score! The Rangers win! The Rangers win! They're going to the Finals! The Rangers win!"[15]
Then when the Rangers won the Stanley Cup, the highest-rated game in MSG Network history:[14]
The waiting is over! The New York Rangers are the Stanley Cup Champions! And this one will last a lifetime!"
He was recognized before the Rangers-Islanders game on January 31, 2014, for 30 years of service with the MSG Network. They did a special called "This One Will Last a Lifetime: 30 Years of Sam Rosen", which was announced at intermission as a present to him by longtime partner and longtime friend John Davidson.[16]
Rosen has been told by the Rangers that he can continue in his position as long as he wishes. He has asked his family to inform him if they feel he is losing his edge due to age but is encouraged that Los Angeles Dodgers play-by-play announcer Vin Scully was still considered a top broadcaster when he retired at age 88.[4] He also called national Rangers game on radio.[17][18]
On August 13, 2024, Rosen announced that he would retire from broadcasting the Rangers after the 2024-25 NHL season, his 40th with the team.[19][20]
Other broadcasting areas
While still in college Rosen worked in the news department at WINS.[4]
Before taking the Rangers play-by-play job in 1984, Rosen also served as a studio host for New York Knicks basketball telecasts on MSG. By 1975, he was a full-time sportscaster for United Press International's 1000-station radio network ("UPI Audio") and was appointed its Sports Director in 1979. He not only worked a daily morning shift beginning with a 5:45 AM sportscast, but also assigned coverage by UPI's stringers at games in every city with a major league sports franchise, and supervised two junior sportscasters. The first hire he had a hand in was a 20-year-old with no previous full-time professional experience, named Keith Olbermann.
While at UPI, Rosen traveled to and covered most major sporting events, from the Super Bowl to the World Series. The duo covered the 1980 Winter Olympics for UPI, and between them reported all the breaking news coverage and produced a half-hour special report, when Yankees catcher and captain Thurman Munson was killed in a plane crash in August 1979.[21][22] Even though the UPI position was a full-time responsibility, while he held it Rosen continued his other part-time positions: back-up voice of the Rangers and Knicks on radio and television, Cosmos soccer play-by-play announcer and weekend news anchor on WNEW-AM radio, and spot television boxing assignments for ESPN and USA Network. Olbermann claimed that when he worked for him Rosen held as many as 11 different jobs, while Rosen says he didn't think it was that many but admitted he worked so often that he could easily have forgotten some of them. He left UPI in 1981 when his ESPN workload and compensation became a living wage by itself.
Rosen was also the lead boxing announcer for the MSG Network until 1993. In 1989, he won the Sam Taub Award for excellence in boxing broadcasting journalism.[29]
Rosen was also a radio play-by-play announcer for the New York Cosmos. His call "It's a Cosmos Goal" predated and could be considered as the basis for his trademark power play call.
