Paul Steigerwald
| Paul Steigerwald | |
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| Born | August 6, 1954 Scott Township, Pennsylvania |
| Occupation | Sportscaster |
Paul Steigerwald (born August 6, 1954) is an American sportscaster, currently working as the Pittsburgh Penguins' primary television announcer on Root Sports Pittsburgh.
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[edit] Minor leagues
Steigerwald became a hockey fan growing up in Pittsburgh's South Hills. One of his neighbors was Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jack Riley, who would provide tickets for the poorly-attended games. Steigerwald developed an interest in hockey and played at the club level while attending Kent State University. After graduating, Steigerwald would start his broadcast career with the Johnstown Red Wings of the Eastern Hockey League.[1] WJNL, the local radio affiliate of the Johnstown Red Wings paid Steigerwald $110 a week to provide commentary for all 70 games that season. With a 24-45-1 and a failing economy within the Johnstown area, the Johnstown Red Wings ceased operations in 1980. The Eastern Hockey League later folded the following year.
Steigerwald was the radio play-by-play announcer for the Altoona Curve - the AA affiliate of the Pittsburgh Pirates - from 2005-2007.
[edit] Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins hired Steigerwald as their marketing director in 1980 at age 25, and later became their radio color analyst in 1985. FSN Pittsburgh (now Root Sports) hired him on 29 June 2006 as its TV play-by-play announcer after it declined to renew the contract of fellow Penguins broadcaster Mike Lange, who was later hired by the team exclusively as its radio play-by-play announcer. On August 18, 2011, Steigerwald and his partner Bob Errey were re-signed by Root Sports to multi-year contracts.[2]
[edit] Hobey Baker joke
During a December 22, 2009 game between the Penguins and the New Jersey Devils, Steigerwald was criticized for a joke he made concerning Hockey Hall of Famer, Hobey Baker. Steigerwald's co-commentator, Bob Errey stated that during hit on the Devils' Mike Mottau, who won the Hobey Baker Award at Boston College in 2000, by the Penguins' Craig Adams, that "The Hobey Baker winner went down... real hard." Steigerwald responded by saying, "Not as hard as Hobey Baker went down, though. He went down in a plane crash. That's pretty hard to go down there." Steigerwald then added that "I don't mean to laugh about how he left us," but continued to chuckle about the situation for several more seconds.[3] Baker, an American fighter pilot in World War I, was killed shortly after the war end, in an airplane accident. The crash occurred on December 21, 1918.
[edit] Cameo
He appeared in the Jean-Claude Van Damme action movie Sudden Death. Playing himself, he provided commentary for a hockey game during which Van Damme's character fought off terrorists; his part climaxed with him exclaiming "holy s--t!" when the scoreboard above the arena was damaged.
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.tribune-democrat.com/sports/local_story_148001500.html
- ^ "Steigerwald and Errey to return as Penguins' TV broadcasters". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. 2011-08-18. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11230/1168245-100.stm. Retrieved 2011-08-18.
- ^ "Paul Steigerwald's Hobey Baker joke falls falt". Huffington Post. 2009-12-29. http://www.tsn.ca/ctvnews/sportsstory.asp?story_id=227528. Retrieved 2011-02-11.
| Preceded by Matt "Mad Dog" McConnell |
Pittsburgh Penguins radio play-by-play announcer 1999-2006 |
Succeeded by Mike Lange |
| Preceded by Mike Lange |
Pittsburgh Penguins television play-by-play announcer 2006-present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
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