On Wednesday evening, the city of Pittsburgh stood still for a moment as it lost one of its most iconic and legendary figures.

Longtime broadcaster Mike Lange - the Hall-of-Fame voice of the Pittsburgh Penguins for 46 years - died Wednesday in his Pittsburgh home at age 76.

For anyone who knew Lange through his baritone play-by-play voice and catchy, legendary sayings, it feels like a part of their Pittsburgh sports experience is now missing. Lange was the voice of Penguins hockey - and, briefly, Pittsburgh Pirates baseball - for multiple generations of hockey fans in Pittsburgh, covering five Stanley Cup championships and the careers of NHL legends the likes of Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, and Sidney Crosby.

But for anyone who knew Lange personally, the grief goes beyond the sound of Lange's voice. Many Penguins players, alumni, and media members had a close personal connection with Lange, who was just as much a cornerstone of the Penguins' organization as any player or coach that has stepped on the ice.

Several of them took to social media to share their stories, their grief, and their remembrance of not only a legendary broadcaster, but a dear friend.

Some players and coaches, past and present - including Crosby and Lemieux - gave heartfelt messages about Lange:

Beyond the players, too, Lange touched the lives of so many members of the Pittsburgh media - broadcasters and writers alike - who have shared their memories, favorite calls, and friendships with the man who was an inspiration and a mentor to so many in the media space.

Some of them - including Penguins alumni and broadcaster Phil Bourque, play-by-play announcer Josh Getzoff, and Sportsnet Pittsburgh reporter Dan Potash - worked directly with Lange through the years and grew close to him as peers, as students, and as friends:

Lange touched so many lives in so many different ways. For some, it was in heartfelt and genuine conversations about hockey, broadcasting, and life in general. For some, it was through mentorship and inspiration.

And for many, it was through a radio dial or a television screen for 46 years of, "It's a hockey night in Pittsburgh!" iterations, creating sensory memories and fortifying a bond between a city and its hockey team for generations.

Nobody did it better than Mike Lange. And there will never be another broadcaster - or another human being - like him.

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