[Rewind to December 16th, 2019, Panger couldn’t stop laughing at Joey Vitale mentioning Zach Sanford’s knob during Blues Gameday Live.](https://www.youtube.com/live/S9aLcnKebOU?feature=share&t=243) The hysterics simply inspired me to buy tickets then and there. We drove all the way from Jeffco taking back roads to avoid crashes on the highway since there was heavy snowfall! We didn’t think we would make it to see the puck drop, let alone at all!
[Anyway, we made it to see a Perron hat trick demolish Kroenke’s avalanche!](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YctV8mRpXdE&ab_channel=mugger)
It was an unforgettable night with my family and I have Panger, (and DP57!), to thank for it.
Miss them both, and wish them the best of luck!
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Share your Panger stories, and if you don’t have any, share a Blues story you will never forget!
by kedwreth
6 Comments
God I don’t remember what game it was but I quote this regularly.
There was one point in a game this past season where they were commentating the play all serious like, and then a long pause of silence, and Pangs is like “you know Gumby?… that guy looks like gumby”
Just kinda came out of nowhere, don’t think there was any real context, and it just got me for some reason. Ever since I’ll sometimes follow up an awkward silence with “you know Gumby?”
(i’m gonna miss playing Pango)
I won a charity auction to sit in the broadcast booth during the second period of Blues game. It was a great experience, a bit confusing because they didn’t have their upgraded suite, and it was all set up through Panger. I got his email, etc and we worked to sit up with JK during the second period of the game on a Saturday afternoon against the Flames. The Blues won and during the period Parayko had an absolute dangle to score. I got to wear the headset and sit next to JK, panger would chat up to us at intermission. They both were extremely kind and obviously huge hockey fans. After the game we got to go to the bluenote club and have drinks with a bunch of the brass including Chaser, Bob Plager (RIP), and Tom Stillman. I shook Tom’s hand and said “Thank you for saving the blues, they are my favorite team” and Tom said “they’re mine too,”
Anyway after the game panger did his post game interview with Petro and got him to sign and give me a stick. It was a great blues game and one of my favorite personal experiences. All set up through Pang. When we chatted we mostly talked about golf. Love ya panger! Thanks for all the memories!
What about the time he said you need to do things the white way when talking about PK Subban?
Saw a game up in Minnesota. Took a picture of my brother and wife and then 4 different blues couple asked me to take their picture. Panger saw this and asked if I wanted a pic so he had me throw him my phone and took a selfie on my phone with me. Was tweeted out by the blues twitter and just a great guy, lic, and memory
When my wife and I got married several years ago, we took a few pictures with the wedding party outside of Scott Trade by the statues. The Blues were inside holding preseason practice. A staff member told us we could come inside and take a few pictures in the concourse area but that we couldn’t go beyond that. Out of nowhere, Darren Pang comes walking by. I yelled out ITS PANGER! He came up with a big ole smile, took some pictures with us, and then said hey where else do you guys want to go? Our photographer decided that the end of the ice up high would make for a great picture, so Panger said have at it and asked the staff to let us go. We got some great pictures and I’ll never forget him taking the time to come tell us congrats and snap a few pics.
I have 2, during a deployment I wasn’t able to watch the games unless I found a not so legal feed. One of these overseas feeds didn’t cut to commercials and the mics stayed live during them. It was a generic shot of the ice but DP and JK were talking the whole game like best friends. The most random off the wall crap, some of which probably would have moved the rating up to R of the feed. But it was great to hear them outside of the normal production feeds and made them feel real.
The second was one of the preseason games up in KC. I made a trip in, saw Mr. Pang walking around the arena and went up just to say hi and let him get on with his business. He kept it going and we had a short conversation and then he asked me if I wanted a picture. Of course I couldn’t say no to the legend. The selfie was a little blurry, but the memory of him taking time out of his day to make my day is one that I’ll never forget. I’m not the type that likes to bother celebrities because I’d be aggravated if people bothered me non stop, but the simple conversation and offering to take a picture, man that was legit.