Sam Rosen has already received the Hockey Hall of Fame's Foster Hewitt Award, four Sports Emmy Awards and is celebrating his 40th season as the Rangers' play-by-play announcer.
But his induction into the New York State Hockey Hall of Fame will be a memorial that will live longer than his lifetime.
“Given the length of my career and being a lifelong New Yorker, this is special and a great honor,” Rosen told The Post ahead of this weekend's induction ceremony in Troy, N.Y. “The word Hall of Fame means eternity to me. There's no greater honor than knowing that my legacy will remain after my career is over. My children, grandchildren and their children will be able to recognize the contributions I made to our sport and our state.”
Rosen will join three other Islanders legends — Dennis Potvin, Ken Morrow and Ed Westfall — and 1980 U.S. national team captain Mike Eluzione in the state's Hall of Fame.
“I'm just a person who is there [I’m] “I've been fortunate to have had this career and been exposed to some of the best athletes in the world,” Rosen said. “To me, they are the ones who deserve this honor. They come from all over the world, they have amazing stories, they are amazing athletes, they are amazing people, and I've been fortunate to have had access to them for so long.”
“Yeah, it's a little surreal when you think about it, but that's been my whole career. Being around and especially being a part of the New York Rangers and being able to attend their games, again, watching, broadcasting and meeting some of the best players in the world. The Rangers had some Hall of Fame players, Mark Messier, Wayne Gretzky, Marcel Dionne, Brian Leetch, the list goes on and on.”
He joins the ranks of Hall of Fame play-by-play announcers such as longtime Islanders play-by-play announcer Howie Rose and Miracle on Ice call-up Al Michaels.
Currently the NHL's longest-serving announcer, Rosen has provided background music for two generations of franchises, from coach Herb Brooks and captain Barry Beck to coach Peter Laviolette and captain Jacob Trouba.
“I look back on it when fans come up to me outside the Garden, sometimes inside the Garden, at arenas around the league. Older fans, younger fans, their kids, they communicate the spirit and greatness of the sport,” Rosen said. “And then when I leave, people come up to me, and in my early days, it was all about autographs and asking if I'd pose for a camera. Now it's all about selfies.”
“And the people are just so wonderful. It means a lot to them. And when I walk away and I sit in my car, I say, wow, this is really special, number one, that they have said nice things about me, about me, and number two, that they've passed on their love of the game, of the sport, to their kids, sometimes their grandkids, and I got to be a part of that. That makes it even more special.”
As things stand, he has no plans to retire at age 76.
“For me, the love is still there, the excitement is still there,” he said, “but there are so many other considerations. There's always travel considerations, health considerations, family considerations. All of those things come into play, but basically you just take it year by year and see what happens. It's been a great journey and I'm loving it and I'm looking forward to next season.”
