The Chicago Blackhawks have replaced TV play-by-play voice Chris Vosters with veteran broadcaster Rick Ball, the team announced Thursday.
Darren Pang will return for his second season as the Hawks color analyst.
The change in the booth comes three days after the Hawks joined the Bulls and White Sox in announcing the formation of a new broadcast partnership, the Chicago Sports Network, which will carry all three teams’ games and pregame and postgame shows after their contract with NBC Sports Chicago expires Oct. 1.
The 57-year-old Ball spent 10 seasons as the play-by-play voice for the Calgary Flames on Sportsnet. He also served since 2011 as a play-by-play announcer for “Hockey Night in Canada” national broadcasts.
“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,” Hawks president of business operations Jaime Faulkner said in a statement.
“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.”
She also bid goodbye to Vosters, who received mixed reactions from fans in his two seasons since replacing Pat Foley, who retired after the 2021-22 season.
“We would also like to thank Chris Vosters for his time as play-by-play announcer, and we look forward to continuing discussions surrounding opportunities with our new network,” Faulkner said. “Chris is a phenomenal broadcaster with a big career ahead of him, and we are excited for him to continue to showcase his immense talent through his content with Stadium as well as his broadcasting work with other national, multisport entities.”
Ball, who has experience calling Stanley Cup playoff games for Sportsnet and TNT, said in a team statement: “I am thrilled to join the Chicago Blackhawks broadcast booth at such a monumental time in the organization’s history. My family and I are extremely grateful to the Wirtz family for giving me the opportunity to join such a storied franchise. It will truly be an honor to call games for an Original Six team and to work with someone as incredibly talented and respected as Darren Pang.”
