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It’s a rare thing in sports media to achieve a dream. Many make the attempt and work extremely hard for many years. Often never reaching the pinnacle of what they set out to do. For Don LaGreca, this summer brought the phone call he had been dreaming of. A New Jersey native who grew up watching the New Jersey Devils, LaGreca became the new television play-by-play voice of the team after two decades working for the New York Rangers radio team on pre and post game coverage.
“I was only allowed to tell my wife when I got the phone call,” said LaGreca of when he received the news. “They said to keep it close to the vest. So, I told my wife, and I sat on it for a couple of weeks before everything started to come out.”
Now just a month into the new season, LaGreca is finding his footing calling Devils games for MSG Network. The longtime fan of the organization finds himself in the booth every night working alongside Devils greats Ken Daneyko and Bryce Salvador. Not knowing what to truly expect from the move from radio to television. LaGreca is learning to unlearn a lot of what made him so effective calling games on radio.
“When I first started doing radio, Pete Silverman had hired people at MSG Networks for years. He said you’ve got to be descriptive, letting everyone know where the puck is. So, I was anal about making sure I was as descriptive as possible,” explained LaGreca. “That’s not exactly the skill set you need for television, because viewers can see it. I’m trying to crack the habit of referencing the geography of the puck, because I have to dial it back.”
Adapting to the Dream
LaGreca admitted he’s always been fascinated by the art of calling play-by-play. He sought out conversations over many years while serving as the backup voice of the Rangers radio booth. The advice he received from friends and mentors such as Kenny Albert, Howie Rose, and Bob Wischusen all sounded the same. Just be yourself, and the rest will take care of itself.
“The passion for play-by-play is just enjoying the sport. That’s why I was able to give a lot of passion for the Rangers even though I wasn’t a fan growing up,” said LaGreca. “It’s fun to do play-by-play, and fun to be involved with hockey and see a goal scored. It’s showing how much fun I’m having… People enjoy watching people have fun.”
For nearly a quarter-century, LaGreca has been a pillar of the weekday lineup on ESPN New York. A station original, he was one of the first voices ever heard on the air. His passion and love for hockey has been on display for ESPN New York listeners for some time as the longtime co-host alongside Michael Kay.
Now, as the first year of Don, Hahn, & Rosenberg nears its conclusion. He’s learning to balance calling games while remaining a key voice on the radio station daily.
“For me, I did twenty years with Michael Kay. He always had to do the Yankees and the show. It’s always been ingrained that there are other things you have to adjust to,” explained LaGreca. “It hasn’t affected Don, Hahn, & Rosenberg. Obviously, the travel and having to do the shows from the arena are the things that affect the show more than doing the show itself.”
Change At ESPN New York
LaGreca’s time co-hosting alongside Michael Kay came to an end last December. Kay announced he would be stepping away from the afternoon drive slot for a solo show in middays. LaGreca said his longtime teammate was upfront and honest about his decision and that he doesn’t regret how that chapter closed.
Immediately, the search began to see who would fill Kay’s role in afternoons alongside LaGreca and co-host Peter Rosenberg. The end result landed Alan Hahn, who moved from middays to join the duo in afternoon drive.
“It was pretty much immediate. There were a couple of names thrown out, because there’s a few people that I felt comfortable working with,” explained LaGreca. “Four hours of radio every day—you want to know that you click with somebody. I didn’t want to go from twenty years with Michael to experimenting with people I had never worked with before. Once I made it known that Alan was one of the guys I wanted to work with. It just clicked from the start. It was pretty much from the get-go.”
With Kay moving to middays, the long-running simulcast of the afternoon drive program on the YES Network also left the station. Recently, ESPN New York launched a YouTube channel that features live streams of every program, reaching a new audience on a global streaming platform.
When asked about how more radio stations are adapting to a YouTube model of content creation, LaGreca noted that the real-time sports radio formula has changed based on where consumers are going for content.
“Radio feels like it’s on its last legs because of the expense of the transmitters and how people are consuming things now. People work from home and aren’t in their cars as much,” explained LaGreca. “YouTube makes you more conscious of what’s going viral days after it happens. Content might hit a few days later. It’s about creating broad content instead of focusing on specifics tied to the moment, because you don’t have an audience that’s listening right then. That’s where radio suffers, and where YouTube, streaming, and on-demand content are our future.”
The transition to YouTube is not the only change ESPN New York has made in recent years. The Good Karma Brands-owned station also stopped subscribing to the traditional Nielsen ratings system early last year.
The decision marked the end of a very competitive head-to-head ratings battle between ESPN New York and WFAN’s programming—something LaGreca admits he still struggles with, not knowing how well the program is doing against his competitor.
“I’m a very competitive person. I want to beat my competition, but now I’m told there is no competition,” said LaGreca. “Now you have to find different ways to satisfy that competitive drive, which is hard for me. I don’t love it and wish there was a measuring stick, but it’s the way it is right now, and I do miss scoreboard watching. I want to know where I stand, and we’ve lost that element.”
Future Decisions
When ESPN New York launched Don, Hahn, & Rosenberg in January, the station also announced contract extensions for Hahn and Rosenberg. With his new role with the New Jersey Devils, LaGreca confirmed his current agreement with ESPN New York expires at the end of 2025.
After working alongside Kay for two decades, he saw firsthand what balancing play-by-play and hosting a daily afternoon drive show can do to a person. With his current agreement coming to a close at the end of next year, the lessons from working with Kay will help guide his decision moving forward with ESPN New York.
“What I learned from Michael is it’s a difficult balance—it can be all-consuming. If I learned anything, it’s to take care of yourself, because with the travel and the amount of time on air, if you’re not careful, you’ll get sick and wear yourself out,” noted LaGreca. “My contract is up at the end of the year. I have seven-year-old twins, so right now every decision I make is based on what’s best for my family.”
With two months remaining on his deal, LaGreca reflected on his continued dedication to the radio program and station, saying ESPN has been amazing to him every step of the way.
“I’ve got to make sure I don’t do too much,” said LaGreca. “I am committed to the Devils with a new contract from them. I’m excited about that, but that’s only half the year. There has to be another thing to balance that out.”
With family on his mind and living the dream of his childhood calling New Jersey Devils games on MSG Network, LaGreca understands there are aspects of his life that have become more important as his career moves forward.
“I’m a 57-year-old father of seven-year-old twins. So, time is as important to me as money. In a lot of ways, it’s even more valuable than money,” explained LaGreca. “As I weigh my options of staying or going, it’s all about what’s best for my family.”
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John Mamola is the sports editor and columnist for Barrett Media. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. Honored to be a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Media and honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL). Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.