The reaction in St. Louis to Wednesday’s news that Blues broadcaster Darren Pang was finalizing a contract to join the Chicago Blackhawks was passionate, to say the least. One commenter said it was worse than a player leaving the team. Another said he blew out his knee the day before and thought things couldn’t get any worse but now they had.

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Currently in Florida covering the NHL playoffs for TNT, Pang couldn’t respond to the report because it hadn’t yet become official. But when that happened Thursday — the Blues confirming that the Bally Sports Midwest color analyst will be leaving after 14 seasons with the club — he was able to address a situation that has been developing since the end of the regular season.

“Well, No. 1, I’d like people to know that this was not a decision that got made overnight,” Pang told The Athletic. “It was … anxiety-filled. I don’t want to hurt anybody. I mean, you can say it’s humbling or an honor (to see the emotional response of fans), but it’s more than that. It’s what we’re supposed to do in our business, make a good impression. I hope that they understand.”

That’s perhaps the most difficult aspect of Pang’s exit — not understanding how the Blues and Bally Sports Midwest let a broadcaster who had become like family in St. Louis leave, especially to join the rival Blackhawks.

Many are aware that Bally’s, by virtue of being a division of Sinclair Broadcasting, is going through a bankruptcy that may be putting financial constraints on contracts for broadcasters like Pang. Many know that Pang’s deal had expired and that any outcome was possible. But still many expected a resolution that included Pang’s return and were surprised and frustrated when that didn’t turn out to be the case.

So what happened?

NHL broadcaster Darren Pang leaving Blues to join Blackhawks TV booth: Sources #stlblues #Blackhawks

— Jeremy Rutherford (@jprutherford) June 7, 2023

“Well, that’s a difficult question for me to answer because I’m not on that other side,” Pang said. “I mean, around the league, we’re seeing what’s happening in our business and we all know that Bally is going through a tough run right now. Maybe the process (of signing him to a new contract) takes a lot longer to get approved? That could be one reason. Maybe the decisions don’t go through St. Louis? Maybe they have to go through L.A.? We’ve had it great in St. Louis. It’s been a very stable broadcast, from our hosts to our analysts. Maybe sometimes when you have something for a long period of time, it gets taken for granted.

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“I guess in my heart, I didn’t really expect another team to be very aggressive in wanting me in their city, and then on the other side, having a situation where the other team wasn’t going to back it up and bring me back. The Blackhawks, they lost two unbelievable broadcasters in the last year — Pat Foley and Eddie Olczyk — and when one side is working so hard to try to get you, it’s incredibly humbling. I think that’s my situation in a nutshell. That’s probably all I can really say about that because I don’t really know.”

Neither Bally Sports Midwest nor the Blues offered any more insight Thursday.

In a statement, BSM general manager Jack Donovan said, “We thank Panger for being an integral member of our broadcast team during a historic era of Blues hockey, and we wish he and his family the best. Blues broadcasts are among the most-watched in the NHL, and we’re working to complete our on-air team for next season as we strive to continue to bring Blues fans the outstanding coverage they deserve.”

In another statement, Blues chairman Tom Stillman said, “Over the past 14 seasons, the St. Louis Blues and our fans have developed a special relationship with Panger. His infectious energy, insightful analysis and, of course, his one-of-a-kind calls quickly made him a fan favorite. Alongside his partner John Kelly, Panger was a key part of one of the greatest broadcast teams in the NHL and played a vital role in enhancing the experience of Blues hockey while creating lasting memories for Blues fans during the most successful era in our history. His passion, personality and colorful style make him one of the most genuine and recognizable ambassadors in our game. We want to thank Panger for his dedication to the St. Louis Blues and wish him and his (family) the best of luck with Chicago.”

So other than Pang’s limited explanation, there may not be much more clarity on the situation coming.

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He was thankful that the Blues did grant the Blackhawks permission to speak with him but admitted some surprise.

“Anytime somebody asks for permission to talk to you, that’s a great honor,” Pang said. “One side of you thinks, ‘Wow, they granted permission? Do they want me?’ But at the same time, to know that someone’s saying, ‘We’re not going to hold you back,’ I think that’s a really honorable thing, and I greatly appreciate it.

“I’ve spent some time texting Tom Stillman because it’s been rather emotional for me to have conversations with people that I really have a lot of respect for and care about.”

Once Pang became aware of the Blackhawks’ pursuit, he acknowledged that he was intrigued because of the current climate with the regional sports networks (RSNs).

“The Bally Sports regionals are, as everybody’s read, in financial distress,” Pang said. “I know the L.A. Kings let go a really terrific play-by-play guy in Alex Faust (after Bally’s deal with the Kings expired and the team combined its TV and radio broadcasts). There’s probably going to be more changes. There’s probably going to be more simulcasts. There’s probably going to be more ways to streamline expenses.

“The Blackhawks and league officials that I talked to assure me that what they’ve got going in Chicago is in really, really good hands. They’re working on a number of things, even to improve streaming. I’m sure if Chicago’s NBC Sports Network was under stress financially, I don’t think they’d be making this kind of move.”

Another benefit of being based in Chicago is that while continuing his role with TNT, Pang will have the ability to take more direct flights than he could from St. Louis. He estimated that between local and national broadcasts, he worked 92 or 93 regular-season games over the past couple of years.

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“Yeah, let’s face it, doing as many games for Bally Sports as I possibly could, I probably burnt my candle at both ends,” Pang said. “So one way or another, I really needed to cut back on some regular-season games. And certainly the travel out of Chicago, yes, it’s direct everywhere.”

I talked with Darren Pang about his decision to join the Blackhawks' TV broadcast, his discussions with Eddie Olczyk about the position, his past ties to the organization, creating chemistry with Chris Vosters and much more.

— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) June 8, 2023

But as Pang began to think about all the plusses of the move, he couldn’t help but reflect on his 14 seasons in St. Louis, after former Blues president John Davidson lured him here from Arizona. He remembered being worried about how fans would accept a former Blackhawks goalie being their analyst.

“I said to J.D., ‘How is it going to work?'” Pang said. “I loved J.D.’s answer. He said, ‘Don’t kid yourself, Panger, you weren’t that good anyway.’ Then he basically said, ‘Just do what you do.'”

Pang recalled former Blue Kelly Chase, the team’s radio analyst at the time, sticking up for him.

“There was somebody who was a little hard on me on the radio locally, and Chaser got wind of it,” Pang said. “So Chaser called into the show and backed me up. I remember thinking, ‘Yeah, the big boy has got my back and that was going to make it an easy transition here.'”

That helped, but if it weren’t for Pang’s professionalism, work ethic, and entertaining broadcasts alongside Blues TV play-by-play man John Kelly, it wouldn’t have mattered.

“We had never done a game before we started, and we formed something really special,” Pang said. “I mean, I could tell when he was taking a deep breath. It was just automatic for me — you can jump in, you can say something. I always knew as an analyst that John was ready to go. He takes great pride in that, so when a game is going in a different direction, I know that he’s got the structure of the game, so I could go on a different tangent. Maybe I’m going to spend a little bit more time talking about the other team’s coach, or the other team’s goaltender.

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“I also liked to catch John off guard. He’s very, very serious about the game, so when you can get him off and laughing, or many times not knowing what the heck I was talking about, that even made it funnier. I remember some of the reactions that I had from my level, and unfortunately for John, I called some really exciting goals. But we had each other’s back, John and I. We just hit it off. I’m going to miss the quirky old fella. I will miss our entire crew.

“It was a lot of laughs, a lot of late nights, and then a lot of hungover mornings, where we had to do it all over.”

Pang kept Kelly abreast of his situation as much as he could.

“I told him my deal was up and I didn’t know what’s going to happen,” he said. “That was the first phone call. Then I made another phone call to him, and I said, ‘J.K., an offer has been made.’ Then when I finally did tell him, maybe a week ago, it wasn’t very easy. I could hear the disappointment.

“Everybody always says, ‘It’s business, it’s business.’ It’s a hard thing to hear and now here I am saying, ‘This is business.’ This isn’t something I anticipated, but as you get going, the hard part is you have to make decisions, and those are very difficult in life.”

A very sad day for the Kelly family. I couldn’t have asked for a better broadcast partner these past 14 years. A true professional and an even better person. Good luck in Chicago my friend, but we will surely miss you in STL

— John Kelly (@Jkellyhockey) June 8, 2023

As word of Pang’s decision began to trickle out in recent days, he heard from many current and former Blues players.

“They had heard whispers, and they just asked, ‘Is it true?'” he said. “I’ve had a lot of heartfelt conversations. They know as a player, it could happen, they can move teams. But as a broadcaster, I think everybody just thinks that it’s going to stay the same way. But they’ve been incredibly encouraging and supportive. They don’t want to dive too deep into the hows and whys. It’s just more, ‘I’m going to miss you.'”

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Perhaps, though, not as much as Pang is going to miss his time in St. Louis and the fans, whose reaction in the past 48 hours has humbled him.

“I think that says a lot about their passion for the game,” he said. “I mean, the ratings have always been great in St. Louis. It’s never the broadcaster; it’s the team. Me, personally, my wife and I packed up our stuff in Arizona and moved to downtown (St. Louis) and went to every bar and just got to know people. You just try your hardest to become part of the fabric of the city. You say hello to people, and if they want a picture, you take a picture. You talk hockey; that’s what you’re there for. You’re an ambassador of the game, and even more, you’re an ambassador for the team and the players.

“I cherish the fans, and I thank them. They took me in as if I’d been part of the Blues family forever, and I think that’s a credit to them, not what I did.”

(Photo of Darren Pang: Jerome Miron / USA Today)