NHL broadcaster Darren Pang leaving Blues to join Blackhawks TV booth: Sources

Darren Pang is returning to where it all began for him in the NHL.

Pang is finalizing a contract to join the Chicago Blackhawks TV broadcast after 14 seasons with the St. Louis Blues, confirmed sources involved in the negotiations, who spoke under the condition of anonymity because the contract hadn’t been signed yet. Pang played his entire NHL career with the Blackhawks.

Pang’s contract with Bally Sports Midwest was expiring this offseason, and the Blackhawks were granted permission last month to speak with him. Terms of Pang’s new deal with Chicago were not immediately known. He will also continue his work as a national analyst with TNT.

Pang, 59, had planned to remain with the Blues and Bally’s next season, but contract talks had been slow. The parent company of Bally’s, Diamond Sports Group, is a division of Sinclair Broadcasting and is currently in bankruptcy.

As Pang awaited a contract offer, he received significant interest around the NHL, including opportunities in both U.S. and Canadian markets. Chicago was one of those teams, and after receiving permission for the two sides to talk, they were able to reach a deal that will put him in the Blackhawks booth.

One of Blackhawks fans’ gripes about the team’s broadcasts this past season was the inconsistency of the radio and TV booths. They missed having Pat Foley and Eddie Olczyk on TV and John Wiedeman and Troy Murray on radio. When Olczyk left to join the Seattle Kraken broadcast prior to the 2022-23 season, the Blackhawks scrambled to fill his place. Murray bounced between color commentary on the radio and on TV, Patrick Sharp would join for stretches and others filled in where necessary.

With the addition of Pang, that issue should be resolved. Pang will call a majority of the TV games alongside play-by-play broadcaster Chris Vosters. Murray will return to mainly calling games on the radio and will still occasionally be on TV. Colby Cohen will no longer be involved in the Blackhawks broadcasts.

Pang signed with the Blackhawks as a free agent in 1984 and played parts of three seasons with the organization. In 81 games, the goaltender was 27-35-7 with a 4.05 goals-against average and .882 save percentage.

A knee injury cut short Pang’s playing career, and at the advice of then-Blackhawks general manager Bob Pulford, he got into broadcasting. Pang’s energy and passion led to a successful media career following his playing days. He first began working at a number of Chicago radio stations, including The Loop and WBBM and has gone on to work for ESPN, ABC, NBC, CBS and TNT at the national and international level, while working for the Arizona Coyotes and Blues at the local level.

Pang joined the Blues in 2009, and alongside play-by-play man John Kelly, the team’s broadcasts have been among the highest-rated in the league. Recently, The Athletic conducted a fan poll, and the Blues ranked No. 5, after tying for No. 4 in 2022 and reaching No. 3 in 2021.

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