“Out with the old, in with the new,” has been the theme of the Blackhawks’ lengthy rebuild for the past few years. On Thursday, the team announced that the motto didn’t only apply to its transitioning roster – they’re making changes in the broadcast booth as well.
After fans voiced significant displeasure with Chicago’s play-by-play voice, the team fired Chris Vosters from his role Thursday. The decision comes amid a changing landscape in the Blackhawks’ broadcast, which is transitioning from NBC Sports Chicago to the Chicago Sports Network, though it’s unclear whether the two updates have any correlation.
The move, which was described by Blackhawks president of business Jaime Faulkner as “based on our own evaluations, as well as feedback from key stakeholders and partners,” also comes in the wake of the Athletic releasing their ranking of television crews around the league, based on a fan survey. In Vosters’s first season after replacing Hall of Fame announcer Pat Foley in 2022-23, the crew was ranked dead last in the league. This time around, the Blackhawks only gained one spot, despite it being the first season to feature former Chicago goalie Darren Pang in what was described as a “home run hire”. The crew was ranked dead last by local fans and 24th nationally.
To replace Vosters, the Blackhawks hired veteran voice Rick Ball to assume play-by-play duties. The 57-year-old spent the previous 10 seasons in the same role for the Calgary Flames, also serving as the voice of “Hockey Night in Canada” since 2011.
His rich experience combined with Panger’s knowledge and energy makes a perfect new tandem in theory for the Blackhawks, as Faulkner mentioned.
“We are delighted to have Rick join the Blackhawks broadcast booth alongside Darren Pang as we begin this exciting new chapter in Blackhawks television with our new broadcast venture, Chicago Sports Network. An established voice in the hockey world, Rick brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to our broadcasts. Coupled with Darren’s exceptional energy and expertise, we believe we are providing Blackhawks fans with the best in-home watching experience in the NHL.”
– Jaime Faulkner
Before completely turning the page, Faulkner acknowledged that Foley may have raised Chicago’s standards to the point where following in his footsteps would be nearly impossible, and thanked Vosters for his service.
“We knew it would be difficult to replace someone as loved and talented as Pat Foley when we first started the process three years ago. Of everyone we looked at and available at the time, Chris was the clear favorite, and we were convinced we had found our voice. Chris did a tremendous job calling Blackhawks games, and while it’s certainly unfortunate that it didn’t work out with him in the end, we’re confident that Rick is going to help our broadcast reach new heights and we’re excited for him to join the team.”
– Jaime Faulkner
Every aspect of watching the Blackhawks will be different this fall, from the team on the ice to the production network to the broadcasters themselves. Chicago now has an exciting new broadcast tandem to go with an on-ice product that looks equally thrilling.
