For Trocheck, Miller, Lange was soundtrack to childhood
When Vincent Trocheck was growing up in Upper St. Clair, he wouldn't just try to emulate the Penguins' players in the games he'd play in his basement.
He'd try to emulate the play-by-play,too.
"Whenever I was a kid playing in my basement and commentating myself, it was usually to the tune of Mike Lange's voice," Trocheck told me after Team USA's morning skate here in Boston on Thursday.
Mr. Lange, who spent 46 of his 50 years in broadcasting with the Penguins' organization, passed away Wednesday at 76 years old.
Trocheck loved some of Mr. Lange's iconic catchphrases -- he's especially partial to "Scratch my back with a hacksaw!" and "He beat him like a rented mule!" -- but Mr. Lange's impact went well beyond his iconic sayings. He was the voice of the Penguins, and for those of Trocheck's generation, Mr. Lange's voice was the soundtrack to hockey growing up.
"It was a pretty sad moment to hear about his passing," Trocheck said. "He means so much to the city of Pittsburgh and to hockey in Pittsburgh."
Just west of Pittsburgh in Coraopolis, the same scenes were playing out in the basement of J.T. Miller's family.
"He's a guy that me and my brother, when we were playing hockey in the basement, we're announcing like Mike Lange," Miller recalled. "He has the best one-liners all the time, and he was very influential for me and hockey. When I was a kid, I really loved listening to him."
Miller said that for himself and his friends who grew up as Penguin fans, those lines like "Shave my face with a rusty razor!" and others "made it fun for us to listen to" and went a long way toward them getting into hockey the way they did. Then as Miller got older and made it to the NHL, getting to meet the man who he'd emulate in all those basement games was always special.
"He meant a lot," Miller said. "He was one of the best at his job. I spent a little bit of time around him in the locker room, being a Pittsburgh guy, and he was always so gracious and nice to me and always supporting other guys that live in the area. He's one of the G.O.A.T.s (greatest of all-time), in my opinion. I'm very sad for him and his family."
Mr. Lange's impact on Pittsburgh hockey is immeasurable. That's true for not only the Penguins as a franchise, but for the kids like Trocheck and Miller who grew up listening to him and turned that passion into an NHL career of their own.
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
THE ASYLUM
Taylor Haase
6:46 pm - 02.20.2025BostonFor Trocheck, Miller, Lange was soundtrack to childhood
When Vincent Trocheck was growing up in Upper St. Clair, he wouldn't just try to emulate the Penguins' players in the games he'd play in his basement.
He'd try to emulate the play-by-play, too.
"Whenever I was a kid playing in my basement and commentating myself, it was usually to the tune of Mike Lange's voice," Trocheck told me after Team USA's morning skate here in Boston on Thursday.
Mr. Lange, who spent 46 of his 50 years in broadcasting with the Penguins' organization, passed away Wednesday at 76 years old.
Trocheck loved some of Mr. Lange's iconic catchphrases -- he's especially partial to "Scratch my back with a hacksaw!" and "He beat him like a rented mule!" -- but Mr. Lange's impact went well beyond his iconic sayings. He was the voice of the Penguins, and for those of Trocheck's generation, Mr. Lange's voice was the soundtrack to hockey growing up.
"It was a pretty sad moment to hear about his passing," Trocheck said. "He means so much to the city of Pittsburgh and to hockey in Pittsburgh."
Just west of Pittsburgh in Coraopolis, the same scenes were playing out in the basement of J.T. Miller's family.
"He's a guy that me and my brother, when we were playing hockey in the basement, we're announcing like Mike Lange," Miller recalled. "He has the best one-liners all the time, and he was very influential for me and hockey. When I was a kid, I really loved listening to him."
Miller said that for himself and his friends who grew up as Penguin fans, those lines like "Shave my face with a rusty razor!" and others "made it fun for us to listen to" and went a long way toward them getting into hockey the way they did. Then as Miller got older and made it to the NHL, getting to meet the man who he'd emulate in all those basement games was always special.
"He meant a lot," Miller said. "He was one of the best at his job. I spent a little bit of time around him in the locker room, being a Pittsburgh guy, and he was always so gracious and nice to me and always supporting other guys that live in the area. He's one of the G.O.A.T.s (greatest of all-time), in my opinion. I'm very sad for him and his family."
Mr. Lange's impact on Pittsburgh hockey is immeasurable. That's true for not only the Penguins as a franchise, but for the kids like Trocheck and Miller who grew up listening to him and turned that passion into an NHL career of their own.
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
We’d love to have you!