Joe Micheletti Joins Sam Rosen In Retirement As NY Rangers Broadcast Enters New Era
Well, I didn't expect to come across this news today. Longtime New York Rangers play-by-play man Sam Rosen announced that he would retire at the end of the 2024-25 season, ending a 40-year run with MSG Networks. His partner of the last 19 years, Joe Micheletti, appeared set to continue with a new partner.
Except, on Thursday, MSG Networks announced that Micheletti would join Rosen in retirement.
It's not surprising that the 70-year-old Micheletti is ready to retire, but the timing is interesting. He clearly didn't want to start over with a new partner following Rosen's retirement, but his decision to wait until after the season to make the announcement shows the kind of class that Micheletti has.
Rather than announce his retirement alongside Rosen, Micheletti allowed the hockey world to give Sam Rosen a year-long sendoff that wasn't impeded by Micheletti's announcement. And, to be fair, Micheletti deserved the same adoration in his final season. But he was happy to allow his partner to soak up the praise and quietly announce his own retirement following the season.

New York Rangers color analyst Joe Micheletti (right) decided to retire following the retirement of his longtime partner, Sam Rosen (left), which starts a new era of Rangers broadcasts.
(Joe Corrigan/Getty Images)
That's incredible and shows the bond that Rosen and Micheletti formed over their 19-year run. It's also exactly why Rangers fans, like myself, are going to miss them dearly. As a 35-year-old Rangers fan, the Rosen and Micheletti duo have been in place for over half of my life.
MSG Networks and the New York Rangers have already announced that Kenny Albert, the Rangers radio play-by-play announcer, would succeed Rosen starting next year. But they have yet to name a replacement for Micheletti.
No matter who they choose, the Rangers will have a completely new broadcast team for the 2025-26 season, ending an era for the team. It's a sad day for fans, but I think I speak for everyone when I say that we wish both Rosen and Micheletti nothing but happiness and success in their respective retirements. They both earned it.