The Pittsburgh Penguins - and the hockey world - have lost a legend.

Hall-of-Fame broadcaster Mike Lange, voice of the Penguins for 46 years and known for his famous sayings, died Wednesday in his Pittsburgh home. He was 76.

Lange first began calling games on the radio for the Penguins in 1974, and for every hockey fan - and sports fan - in the city of Pittsburgh, he really became a household name when he started on TV in 1976. Through multiple generations of Penguins' Stanley Cup Championships and all-time great players - from Mario Lemieux to Jaromir Jagr to Sidney Crosby - he was there to tell the story of it all.

He spent 30 years on the TV broadcast side until the end of the 2005-06 season, when he switched to the radio booth. He called games on the radio for the Penguins until 2021, when he officially announced his retirement and stepped down due to health reasons.

Lange was most famous for his "Langeisms," which were his famous goal calls and coined phrases throughout the years. Whether Jagr was "smiling like a Butcher's dog" after scoring a goal or all-time great Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur "didn't know whether to cry or wind his watch" after surrendering a Penguins' goal, there wasn't a single call that Lange didn't have a phrase for. 

A personality warm and inviting, Lange was also quite close to the players, coaches, and other members of Pittsburgh media throughout the years, developing friendships that transcended the work being done in and around the organization.

The Penguins - as well as longtime radio broadcast partner Phil Bourque - gave beautiful tributes to Lange upon the news of his passing. In a statement, the Penguins called Lange "the magician behind the mic," saying:

"The Hall-of-Famer's voice is synonymous with the biggest calls in franchise history, including all five Stanley Cup Championships, and his unique one-liners and knack for anticipating game-changing plays set him apart from other announcers. Only Mike could make the biggest names in hockey seem even more magical just with his voice."

Lange was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001, when he was given the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award by the NHL's Broadcasters' Association. But - Hall-of-Fame or not - Lange will forever be known as the greatest broadcaster Pittsburgh has ever seen, as his calls created memories for multiple generations of hockey fans.

Elvis may have left the building, but Lange will forever be in the hearts of Pittsburgh Penguins fans and those who had the pleasure of calling him a mentor, an inspiration, and a friend.

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