The Blackhawks’ sudden firing of TV play-by-play voice Chris Vosters was the result of a change of heart in the team’s view of his broadcasting and a strained relationship with analyst Darren Pang, who played a part in his departure, the Sun-Times has learned.
The Hawks announc-ed Thursday that they replaced Vosters with Rick Ball, who has been the Flames’ TV voice for the last 10 seasons. Ball will join Pang when the Hawks move to the Chicago Sports Network in October.
Word had circulated earlier this week that the Hawks were speaking with announcers’ agents, presumably in pursuit of Vosters’ replacement. When the Sun-Times reached out to the Hawks, they didn’t respond until shortly before their announcement.
It’s a stunning turn for the Hawks, who anointed Vosters as the successor to Hockey Hall of Famer Pat Foley in April 2022 after an in-season competition among candidates that left fans fuming because of the inconsistency in the booth. Though Vosters hadn’t had a regular job calling hockey, the Hawks thought he was the answer.
Vosters improved in his two seasons, but fan reaction on social media was often critical. It didn’t help that he called teams that finished with the third- and second-worst records in the NHL, leaving fans with negative feelings.
But in Vosters’ first season with Pang, the longtime analyst and former Hawks goalie, sources say the two didn’t mesh.
The team became unhappy with Vosters’ broadcasting and took fan feedback seriously.
Ball has a wealth of experience calling hockey. In addition to calling Flames games on Sportsnet, he has called play-by-play for national broadcasts of “Hockey Night in Canada” since 2011 and has been the show’s western-based announcer since 2013.
