Darren Pang nears return to Blackhawks

At 5-foot-5, Darren Pang was one of the shortest goalies in NHL history. The joke was there was a “6-Hole” above his head.

Pang’s career wasn’t long either. A knee injury suffered in 1990 training camp ended it.

But “Panger”has always been big with Blackhawks fans, first as a netminder then as TV color commentator who progressed to national networks in the United States (ESPN, ABC and currently TNT) and Canada (TSN).

Darren Pang will be talking to Blackhawks, not Blues, players next season. USA Today.

According to several reports, Pang is finalizing a contract to join the Blackhawks TV broadcast after 14 seasons with the St. Louis Blues. Sources involved in the negotiations spoke under the condition of anonymity because the contract hadn’t been finalized. The Blackhawks also didn’t comment.

Pang, an Ottawa-area native, appeared in just 81 regular-season and six playoff games over three seasons in the NHL, all with the Blackhawks. That included a final campaign in 1988-89, when Pang said he and other players were terrorized by then-coach Mike Keenan’s mind games and mood swings.

Pang’s contract with Bally Sports Midwest in St. Louis expired this offseason, and the Blackhawks were granted permission last month to speak with him. He will also continue his work as a national analyst with TNT.

Pang told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch last month that he was close to signing a three-year extension with TNT and that his next team job must accommodate that. The Blackhawks allowed Eddie Olczyk to work for NBC Sports, then TNT.

Pang, 59, had planned to remain with the Blues and Bally’s next season, but contract talks had stalled. The parent company of Bally’s, Diamond Sports Group, is a division of Sinclair Broadcasting and is currently in bankruptcy.

NOTE: Pang led the OHL Ottawa 67s to the Memorial Cup in 1984 and his sister used to work for the junior team.