Sam Rosen retired from the MSG Network booth last April after 40 years calling Rangers games. But on Friday night at the Winter Classic in Miami, the 78-year-old proved you can take the man out of the broadcast booth, but you can’t take the broadcaster out of the man.
Rosen was sitting in the stands at loanDepot Park when Artemi Panarin scored a power play goal with 12:25 left in the third period. And in a moment captured on video by Jeff Levi on X, Rosen delivered his signature call right from his seat.
Sam Rosen saying it’s a PPG! #NYR #WinterClassic pic.twitter.com/v9GFYLUUT8
— Jeff Levi (@levi1994) January 3, 2026
“It’s a power play goal” became Rosen’s calling card over those 40 years. The Rangers honored him with custom warmup jerseys before his final broadcast last season, each one featuring his name, the No. 40, and a patch with his likeness alongside that famous line.
Kenny Albert replaced him in the booth this season, but Rosen clearly hasn’t lost the instinct. Sitting in what appeared to be a luxury box, surrounded by celebrating Rangers fans, the 78-year-old did what came naturally.
Panarin’s goal put the Rangers up 4-1 in what ended up being a 5-1 blowout of the Panthers. Sam Reinhart had cut the deficit to 3-1 earlier in the period, but the Rangers’ second power play goal of the night effectively ended any comeback hopes. The Rangers improved to 6-0 all-time in outdoor games and snapped a three-game losing streak heading into the New Year.
And while they’re still fighting for playoff positioning in the Eastern Conference, Friday night was about something else. Rosen spent 40 years making that call for Rangers fans. Apparently, retirement doesn’t change that.
About Sam Neumann
Since the beginning of 2023, Sam has been a staff writer for Awful Announcing and The Comeback. A 2021 graduate of Temple University, Sam is a Charlotte native, who currently calls Greenville, South Carolina his home. He also has a love/hate relationship with the New York Mets and Jets.