Rick Ball set to join the Chicago Blackhawks broadcast booth.

In June, the Chicago Blackhawks announced that longtime NHL broadcaster Rick Ball would join the team to replace Chris Vosters, which surprised many hockey fans. Ball had spent the previous ten seasons as the Calgary Flames’ announcer, a job he appeared to enjoy. On Wednesday, Ball met with the media as the Blackhawks officially introduced the new announcer. He discussed how he got the job and what it meant to him.

“I’m incredibly excited. This is my favorite tour stop.When broadcasters get their schedules at the beginning of the year, one of the first things they do is mark their favorite cities, circle when those visits are, and check to see if they have a night off before or if they are back-to-back. “Whenever we were here in Chicago on a night off, I was always excited,” Ball stated. Ball then recounted how and when he landed the job. “I was in the final year of my deal with Calgary. I worked for the network in Canada, not on the team. They wanted me back, and I was looking forward to signing a new contract when the Hawks reached out.

It happened quite quickly after that. After about a week, an offer was made.The last month has been crazy — as you can expect — but incredibly thrilling,” the announcer stated. Ball is most enthused about sharing a broadcast booth with Darren Pang. “When I went to Calgary ten years ago, one of the most appealing aspects of the chance was working with Kelly Hrudey, and the same goes for Darren Pang. He is a top performer in the industry and also a great person.”I can’t wait to get started with him,” he added.