Steve Mears, Josh Getzoff switch radio, TV roles as Penguins play-by-play broadcasters
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Josh Getzoff still has the hourglass Mike Lange gifted him.
When Getzoff replaced the Pittsburgh Penguins iconic play-by-play radio voice in 2021, Lange gave him an hourglass — an egg timer in all reality — that served as a reminder to read out the score and time of the game to those listening.
Two years later, Getzoff will carry that apparatus as he embarks on his new gig as the television play-by-play announcer on the newly formed SportsNet Pittsburgh.
“There’s no way that’s going away,” Getzoff said. “That will be in front of me every single game.”
The new network, formerly known as AT&T Sportsnet, formally announced Getzoff would be handling the play-by-play duties Monday. Additionally, it was announced that Dan Potash, formerly the rinkside reporter, will be taking over as studio host for pre- and post-game shows as well as intermission segments. Hailey Hunter, formerly of the Golf Channel and PGA Tour Entertainment, will assume rinkside duties.
Hunter is the daughter of former Penguins forward Tim Hrynewich.
Additionally, the Penguins announced Steve Mears, previously the play-by-play voice on the AT&T Sportsnet broadcast, will take over for Getzoff on the radio side.
Things have yet to be finalized as far as the television color commentator role. It is believed that a “rotation” of sorts will be tried. Former Penguins forward Colby Armstrong, who previously served as a “between the benches” reporter, is expected to get the bulk of assignments in that rotation.
Another former Penguins forward, Jay Caulfield, is expected to continue in a studio role he has inhabited for several years.
Fenway Sports Group, which owns the Penguins, is in the process of purchasing the former AT&T Sportsnet and re-branding it as SportsNet Pittsburgh. That deal is expected to be finalized in October, but the wheels of change have been in motion for several weeks.
For Getzoff, the change from radio to television will require some adjustments.
“They’re different arts, but they’re communicating the same picture, which is the fun part about it,” Getzoff said by phone. “You still get the aspect of the emotion, the excitement of calling the game. There are, obviously, things as far descriptors. I’m not always going to be necessarily labeling a play at the left wing circle or the right wing circle if I’m calling it on TV.
“But I think you can still — with the tone of your voice and the crescendo that you can ride and the emotions that play out throughout the game — tell a story in a way equal to how you call it on the radio side. The TV call is less worded for obvious reasons but can be equally entertaining and passionate.”
Mears, a Murrysville native and Franklin Regional graduate, has a lengthy resume in radio, including his days with the New York Islanders in the late 2000s (to say nothing of his time with the Bossier-Shreveport (La.) Mudbugs of the former Central Hockey League in the mid-2000s).
“So much of it on radio is painting the picture,” said Mears, a self-described student of Lange. “I absolutely love the craft of doing that. I rose up through the broadcasting ranks with radio from the minor leagues and college to doing radio for the New York Islanders. I think that’s how a lot of broadcasters cut their teeth and work on those skills.
“It will take an adjustment, there’s no question about it. On television, you’re providing a caption to a picture that already exists. On radio, there is no picture, and you’ve got to paint it. That’s what we’re going to do. “I’m just so excited to be working with (Phil Bourque), who has been excelling in that role for such a long time now.
“… To get back to doing radio – which I love the craft of – is really exciting.”
Potash’s departure from the rinkside role was met with some skepticism by fans (at least those vocal enough on social media). Popular among viewers, Potash has crafted a brotherly relationship with Penguins players over the past 15-plus years, including with the somewhat reclusive Evgeni Malkin.
“Brothers fight all the time,” Potash quipped about his playfully antagonistic relationship with Malkin. “I allowed myself to really just be me, and they seemed to like who I was. And they seemed to like who I was as a person. It was never about the X’s and O’s, goal scoring, wins, losses. It was about who they are as people. I always enjoyed telling that story.
“Most fans don’t get to know them as people as we do. To be able to speak to them about other things outside of hockey, whether it’s families or hobbies or other interests, allows fans to know they’re just like you and I.”
A lot of details still need to be sorted out before SportsNet Pittsburgh before it broadcasts its first game, a neutral site preseason contest against the Ottawa Senators in Halifax, Nova Scotia on Oct. 2.
But it’s clear it will be a different presentation.
“It’s an exciting time because everything is a little new and fresh,” Getzoff said. “It matches kind of the vibe of the team. There’s been a refreshment of the roster and there’s been a refreshment of the television broadcast.”
Note: Bourque (color commentator), Paul Steigerwald (pre- and post-game shows) and Brian Metzer (intermissions and post-game shows) will continue on in their roles with the radio broadcasts.