The 57-year-old Ball will replace Chris Vosters calling games on local TV broadcasts as team switches to Chicago Sports Network.

The Chicago Blackhawks named veteran NHL broadcaster Rick Ball as their television play-by-play announcer on Thursday. 

Ball replaces Chris Vosters and will join color analyst Darren Pang in the team's TV booth for the 2024-25 season, its first on the new Chicago Sports Network, also home to the Chicago Bulls and White Sox.

The Blackhawks said they made move to put hockey experience behind the mic.

The 57-year-old Ball joins the Blackhawks after 10 previous seasons as the television play-by-play voice of the Calgary Flames on Sportsnet. During that time, Ball has also served as play-by-play announcer for Hockey Night in Canada’s national broadcasts, a role he began in 2011 before being named the program’s lead Western play-by-play announcer in 2013.

“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,” said Blackhawks President of Business Operations Jaime Faulkner in a news release. “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."

Vosters called Chicago's games on TV the past two seasons. He brought upbeat energy to broadcasts, but was sometimes criticized for a shortage of hockey-specific knowledge.

“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 added in the release. "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, multi-sport entities."

Faulkner told the Athletic that hockey experience matters to the "Original Six" Blackhawks.

“One thing we know is that our fans value a deep hockey knowledge and experience, and it was important to us that our broadcast reflect those values,” Faulkner said. “Every year after the season concludes, we evaluate our broadcast talent in the booth for both radio and TV, and also in-studio, to determine if it is at the level our fans expect and deserve. Based on our own evaluations, as well as feedback from key stakeholders and partners, we felt we need to make a change in this role."

A native of Kelowna, British Columbia, Ball started his broadcast career in 1995 as the radio play-by-play announcer for the Kelowna Rockets of the Western Hockey League. 

He broke into the NHL in 2000-01, originally serving as a fill-in for Jim Hughson calling Vancouver Canucks games before being named the radio play-by-play voice of the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League in 2004. Ball returned to hockey ahead of the 2008-09 season as the radio play-by-play announcer for the Canucks through the 2013-14 season.

During his career, Ball has called numerous Stanley Cup Playoff series with Sportsnet and TNT. He also worked as the play-by-play announcer for NHL Network and Sportsnet during both the World Cup of Hockey in 2016 and the 2018 NHL China Games between the Calgary Flames and Boston Bruins.

“I am thrilled to join the Chicago Blackhawks broadcast booth at such a monumental time in the organization’s history," Ball said in the the release. "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."

Pang, the former Blackhawks goalie, will return for his second season with Chicago as television color analyst. He also serves as a lead analyst and ice-level reporter on TNT.