ST. LOUIS — A fan-favorite voice on St. Louis Blues broadcasts will not return next season.
Darren Pang is leaving the Blues broadcast booth to return to the Chicago Blackhawks, where his NHL career started. The move was first reported by The Athletic on Wednesday and was confirmed by both teams Thursday.
Pang will be the Blackhawks' color analyst and will continue his work with TNT as an ice-level reporter and lead analyst.
Pang's contract with Bally Sports Midwest was set to expire this offseason, the report said.
Pang joined the Blues broadcasts as a color commentator in 2009 to team up with longtime play-by-play broadcaster John Kelly.
He played all three of his NHL seasons with the Blackhawks and suited up for them in the Alumni Game at the 2017 Winter Classic at Busch Stadium.
In a letter posted to the Blues website, Pang thanked fans and went through his journey of becoming a member of the broadcast team.
"Where do I begin, really? Where does this letter start?" he wrote.
"Does it begin with a round of golf at Blackstone Country Club in Peoria, Arizona in 2009? I got a phone call then that would turn the next 14 years into the best ride of my life."
Pang went on to highlight some of the remarkable experiences he had with the team for the last 14 years. The biggest moment, he said, was the 2019 Stanley Cup run.
"The broadcasters aren't part of the winning, not at all. The players on the ice win it - they are the champs. But we sure felt like champs, and I am forever grateful with how we - the broadcasters - were treated by Tom Stillman and the ownership group, the management team, the coaching staff, and of course, the players," he wrote. "The flights, the bus rides, the dinners, the incredibly late nights, the 'let's just have one more' together, the friendships. They will last forever."
He signed off one last time with a word of gratitude.
"So for now, I just want to say thank you - to everyone I've mentioned, to everyone I may have forgotten to mention, but especially to you - the fans. You made this ride one that I will never forget."