Penguins set radio broadcast, add Steve Mears

Steve Mears was recently removed from the Penguins’ television broadcast, but he won’t be going too far. Mears was tabbed as the team’s new radio play-by-play voice, to join Phil Bourque for the 2023-24 season.

The Penguins have named Steve Mears play-by-play broadcaster of the Penguins Radio Network, it was announced today by President of Business Operations Kevin Acklin.

Mears joins long-time color analyst Phil Bourque in the broadcast booth, while Paul Steigerwald will continue his duties as pre- and post-game host.

Mears, a native of Murrysville, Pennsylvania and graduate of Franklin Regional High School, spent the past six seasons as television play-by-play broadcaster of the Penguins on AT&T SportsNet. Before joining AT&T SportsNet, Mears spent five seasons with NHL Network, which included serving as host of NHL Live, NHL NOW and as play-by-play announcer for the World Junior Championship and NHL International. As the voice of NHL International, Mears has called numerous outdoor NHL games, All-Star Games and four Stanley Cup Finals (the first two of which were won by the Penguins).

Prior to his time at NHL Network, Mears spent three years as a host on the Penguins Radio Network and PensTV. From 2006 to 2009, he also served as the radio play-by-play broadcaster for the New York Islanders, his first job in the NHL. He is a graduate of Bowling Green State University.

Joining Mears in the booth for his 21^st season on the Penguins broadcast team is two-time Stanley Cup Champion Phil Bourque, who will continue his role as color analyst.

A gritty winger/defenseman, Bourque was signed by Pittsburgh as a free agent in 1982, and went on to record 164 points (75G-89A) in 344 regular-season games with the Penguins between 1983 and 1992. For his career he totaled 199 points (88G-111A) in 477 games with the Penguins, New York Rangers and Ottawa.

Since retiring from professional hockey in 2000, Bourque has co-hosted Penguins pre- and post-game shows on the Penguins Radio Network, has worked as a contributor for television coverage of Penguins hockey and participated in various alumni events.

Pittsburgh native Paul Steigerwald is entering his sixth year as pre- and post-game host of the Penguins Radio Network and 44th overall around the organization.

Steigerwald has been a fixture with the team since 1980, serving in many roles including 11 seasons as play-by-play announcer on Penguins telecasts, six seasons as the radio voice of the Penguins, and 14 seasons as color commentator for both TV and radio broadcasts.

There hasn’t been official word on what is next for the TV team, but it is widely expected that Josh Getzoff (the previous pxp voice of the Pens on the radio) will be bumped over to television. The above announcement of Bourque remaining on the radio removes him from going to TV, which will leave the team to still find a color analyst to replace the departed Bob Errey.

That new TV crew will be on a newly named station starting in October, Sportsnet Pittsburgh, now owned by Fenway Sports Group. The team has not yet made many details about an expected ability to stream games via the new outlet, but the station will be staying on and replacing the soon-to-be-former channel of AT&T Sportsnet Pittsburgh in the Western PA cable/satellite plans.