Michael Kay calls out Rangers analyst for ‘trampling’ over game-winning call

“The color guy has to let the play-by-play call do his call.”

Michael Kay has steadfastly believed that the color analyst should never step on the toes of a play-by-play announcer, especially during a big call.

Kay had sung this familiar tune before, as he had made it known that he wasn’t a fan of Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling shouting out during Gary Cohen’s call of a walk-off home run in 2022.

Whether you agree with him or not, Kay’s opinion hasn’t changed. So, it didn’t exactly come as a surprise when the New York Yankees play-by-play voice took issue with New York Rangers analyst Dave Maloney getting a bit rowdy during Artemi Panarin’s game-winning goal in overtime over the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday.

Panarin’s game-winner gave the Rangers a 3-0 series lead. But Kay didn’t love that Maloney stepped on Sam Rosen’s call of the winning goal, which came during Game 3 in Round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
“I’ve been warning about this very thing for years now,” Kay said on his The Michael Kay Show. “You’ve heard me — and people fight back on me. The color guy has to let the play-by-play call do his call. If they make a DVD — I don’t even know if they make DVDs anymore — of the Rangers winning the Stanley Cup, I can guarantee you that will not be on it. It’s not fair to Sam Rosen. It’s beyond me how a 67-year-old man could be so giddy about something and could not control himself that he trampled all over Sam Rosen’s call.

“I mean, Peter (Rosenberg), what are we doing? If you were listening to the radio (Thursday), you have no idea what happened. You just know they’ve won.”

Rosenberg mentioned that Kay has previously been prickly about Maloney, but agreed the call was a bit over-the-top.

Others felt it seemed harsh, especially when considering Maloney’s long history with the Rangers. He’s been with them since his teens and even captained some of their best teams. He’s clearly dedicated to the franchise. If Rosen isn’t bothered, some are unclear as to why Kay should be.

But while Kay has nitpicked Maloney before, you have to remember that this is his belief that transcends any sport, regardless of the moment.

“You can show that enthusiasm after Sam makes the call,” said Kay. “Again, I’m gonna joke about this a lot, but I’m gonna be serious about one thing — where’s the leadership at MSG where you don’t sit Dave down and say, ‘You can’t do that.’ Because it’s not up to Don, it’s not up to Sam; although Sam is a Hall of Famer, he certainly could. I don’t know if Kenny (Albert) does. He doesn’t seem like he steps on Kenny that much.

“But somebody who’s running the show at MSG has to sit him down and go, ‘No. No, you can’t do that. That’s not good radio. Nobody who’s listening in the car had any idea what happened there.’”

After repeatedly listening to the call, Kay said he felt sorry for Rosen.

“You know what happened with Sam there? He was walking across a railroad track and didn’t think there was a train coming,” explained Kay. “And all of a sudden, he got absolutely obliterated on the track.”

While Kay has a wealth of experience as an announcer, he hasn’t sat alongside Dave Maloney in the booth like his co-host, Don La Greca. La Greca still serves as the backup radio play-by-play announcer for the Rangers and offered a rebuttal to his longtime radio partner.

“The first thing I gotta jump into — and take exception to — honestly, Michael, a 67-year-old man; this guy bled, he broke bones, he’s got arthritis in both of his ankles, he’s got a bad elbow,” said La Greca. “I’ve walked with him after morning skates to the hotel; this guy is literally and figuratively bled and had his body destroyed being a New York Ranger. And it’s not strategic…where it’s all performative, all trying to get a reaction where Dave’s sitting there going, ‘I’m gonna jump the call because then it’ll go viral and really help my narrative of my career.’ That’s a visceral reaction of the moment, and the fans love that because that’s exactly how they would react in that situation…

“When you live in this performative world — you really think all these people on the NBA side are against Knicks. Or are they against the Knicks because they know it’s good for their brand, it’ll stir up, it’ll get more attention, and get better ratings? We sit there in a world of not knowing or saying what’s real or if we’re just trying to get a reaction.

“That is, a fan can sit there — and if you’re stuck in a car and you’re listening to the game, you’re probably a die-hard fan who can’t get in front of the TV. And they know that the guys calling the game care as much about the game as you do. It’s local radio, guys. That wouldn’t be acceptable on ESPN or TNT on television, or if that was a national broadcast because the majority of your audience wouldn’t have a dog in the fight. They just want to be entertained by the game. When you’re playing to that room, the fans love it. And it was just a visceral reaction to the moment, knowing that there’s a Ranger in that both that loves the team as much as the person listening does.”

Kay echoed La Greca’s overall sentiment but clarified that he’s not going to advocate to pull the plug on Maloney altogether. However, he believes Maloney’s excitement might be a bit ahead of schedule. And that’s been his belief all along. It started before Maloney’s Thursday reaction and will continue long after it.

So, agree with him or don’t, but you shouldn’t expect Kay to move off this position anytime soon.

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