Now a Baseball Only Voice, Howie Rose Reflects Back to His Islanders Days

I mean, how do you replace a legend? Longtime colleague Jiggs McDonald preceded Rose. You just don't follow an act like that, but -- darn it -- Howie did. Not only that, but he would win two Emmy awards!

The first time I met Howie Rose, I needed a police escort.

I kid you not.

This was long before Rose's stint as New York Islanders play-by-play tv broadcaster, which began in 1995.

In fact, that was so long ago, it was even before Stephane Matteau became a Howie trademark name.

Our mutual adventure took place when Howie and I were invited to do a sports talk show out of a studio in New Jersey.

It was hosted by a young hockey journalist named Jon Trontz, who later went on to fame as a Hollywood screenwriter, and took place either in 1978 or 1979, I'm not sure which, but it doesn't really matter.

I'm not certain what Howie's fee was for the gig, but Trontz promised me a Chinese dinner.

What matters is that Sir Rose was there more or less to be pro-Ranger while I was on the Isles side of the debate. Or, to be more accurate, I was as anti-Ranger as could be and then even more anti-er than that. There was no doubt that the Blueshirt fans listening took a dim view of my points and registered it so vehemently that Trontz pulled us over at the end.

"We got some nasty calls (from Rangers fans), and I got worried about you, Stan," Trontz warned. "Kidding aside, I've called for a police escort to get both you guys -- and me -- to the GW Bridge. Once we get to the city, we'll meet for the Chinese dinner."

True to his word, there were the cop cars, and they led us right to the GW, after which we said good-bye and safely arrived in Manhattan, the Isle of Joy. And the Chinese meal was even more joyous since no Rangers fans were in sight.

Was it worth it? A lot because it was the beginning of my lifelong friendship with Pal Howie. And that includes working with him out of the Coliseum during his six-year stint doing the Isles games.

He started in time for the 1995-1996 season and said au revoir after the 2015-2016 campaign. The mere fact that he was so closely identified with the Rangers -- Matteau, Matteau -- made his Isles hiring virtually un-real.

The telecast decision-maker at the time was SportsChannel's Pete Silverman, who emigrated from a successful production run in Philadelphia. When Pete decided to hire Howie, I suggested that he was taking a big gamble.

"But he's good," Silverman shot back.

"But he's known as a Ranger guy," I countered.

Pete ended the discussion this way: "Howie is real good at what he does, and I believe that Islanders fans will get to respect and really like his work."

Silverman was right -- he usually was -- and Howie moved behind SportsChannel's play-by-play mike; but not with consummate ease.

I mean, how do you replace a legend? My pal and longtime colleague Jiggs McDonald preceded Rose. You just don't follow and act like that, but -- darn it -- Howie did.

Not only that, but he would win two Emmy awards and eventually would be welcomed and respected, just as Pete Silverman had predicted.

You should know that Howie was more than an announcer. He was part of our crew which was really family. I relished telling him jokes because he always asked for more, and I loved talking baseball with him when we had the time.

The beauty part is that my buddy still is thriving, only now behind a Mets' mike. He's authored an autobiography and survived a serious illness, returning to the booth as vibrant, wise, and witty as ever before.

Likewise, Howie never forgot his Islanders years. With that in mind, I hit him with a few topics and herewith present his answers:

THE CHALLENGE OF MOVING FROM THE RANGERS TO ISLANDERS:

"It was incredibly challenging. My first season with the Islanders was 1995-96, and the timing was terrible. I was just a little over a year removed from the Rangers' Stanley Cup win. And that had come in part at the expense of the Islanders.

"The (Islanders) team was awful, and that was the season when they made the unnecessary logo and jersey change. On top of that, the team had Kirk Muller -- we had dealt for him -- refusing to play and a decrepit building with ownership unpopular and looking to sell. It wasn't until they finally turned it around in 2001-2002 that I truly felt accepted."

ADJUSTMENTS HE HAD TO MAKE GOING FROM RADIO TO TV:

"I had to learn to edit the game action and not talk as much as I was accustomed to talking. Whenever I became too chatty, my producer, Kevin Meininger, would call me 'Radio Boy.' Kevin and our SportsChannel director at the time, Larry Roth, were instrumental in accelerating my transition. I love those guys and treasure their friendship."

HIS SPECIAL SEASON:

"The entire 2001-2002 year was my favorite. Of course, the Shawn Bates' penalty shot in the playoffs against Toronto was a highlight. But there was a lot more than that. Just the thought of experiencing the revival of this storied franchise was special in and of itself. Also, there was the tremendous energy and decibel levels at The Old Barn. It was something to behold. I called it the Renaissance season.

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MISSING HOCKEY NOWADAYS:

"I watch a lot of hockey from my home in Florida during the baseball off-season. What I really miss is actually calling the game. What I don't miss is the travel as well as the preparation and the commitment. But I really miss the people. No question, hockey people are the best."

WHAT IT WAS LIKE BEING AN ISLANDERS GUY DOING AN ISLES-RANGERS GAME:

"When I was doing those games, I was fully committed. Players move around, and so do broadcasters."

JOHN DAVIDSON'S COMMENT THAT A TEAM ANNOUNCER LEANS 60 PERCENT TO HIS OWN TEAM:

"I really can't quantify my approach. My agenda was brief. Be honest and accurate, and let the players tell the story!"