Tribute Sal "Red Light" Messina

[007]

I was randomly thinking about Sal "Red Light" Messina this morning, Googled him, and found there was a piece about him in Newsday last week. It's spooky -- almost makes you want to believe in...coincidence! (Dad joke, I'm here all week folks!)

Unfortunately, I don't have a Newday subscription, but I thought it was worth a nostalgia post for us old folks:

Where are they now: Sal 'Red Light' Messina

Messina, a Rangers broadcaster for 30 years, is one of the more memorable characters in NY sports announcing history

www.newsday.com

Click to read more...

 

[Boris Zubov]

Loved Red Light. He was great alongside Marv, but was really underappreciated by the fan base. I always admired how honest & unbiased he was while still obviously wanting the team to win.

 

[HockeyBasedNYC]

I was a kid when he was on air - It was like the fun uncle or gramps sitting in the booth teaching you the game as you watched or listened.

He was a lot of fun

 

[Mandar]

Sal and Marv.....legendary.

 

[NickyFotiu]

“Whenever I think of Sal, I smile,” Rose said. “We shared great times together professionally, watching a very, very successful era of Rangers hockey.
“We’re both New York schoolyard kids. We both like to throw the needle at each other. It made for persistent laughter. When we go out to dinner and revisit those times, we laugh.”
Messina said his days mostly are dedicated to golf and pickleball, and at night, “My hobbies are watching the Rangers and Yankees.”
A 7-handicap in his prime, he has shot his age in golf more than once. “When you’re 85, it’s easy to shoot your age,” he said with a laugh.

His first partner, Marv Albert, gave it to him. The red light, of course, is what goes on when a hockey goal is scored, and thus is not what any goalie wants to see.
“I was always able to joke around with him,” Albert said. “So I named him ‘Red Light,’ and obviously it stuck.”
Messina was a goalie in various leagues, including a brief stint with the Eastern Hockey League's Long Island Ducks in 1962-63.
But his most interesting claim to fame was traveling with the Rangers as an emergency fill-in in an era when teams did not carry two NHL goaltenders.
“At that time, there were territorial rights,” he said. “And I was the only guy from New York, so they had territorial rights on me.”

 

[NickyFotiu]

Messina tired of the job and left after the 2001-02 season. It is no wonder he was tired, because during his time calling Rangers games he had a day job in sales with an airplane parts supplier in Port Washington, the W.S. Wilson Corporation.

Sal "Red Light" Messina's mask in the Hockey Hall of Fame as part of his induction as a broadcaster in 2005 Credit: Sal Messina
He joined that company out of Long Island City High School in 1957 and still does work for it on occasion.
“My company was very cooperative,” he said. “They understood what I wanted to do.”

 

[romba]

Every time I see Tribute Thread I assume the guy died lol.

Loved listening to him on the radio in bed while I was supposed to be sleeping, he really explained the game well and had good chemistry. I was pretty young so at this point mostly remember his 'Members Only jacket' reads and 'split save ala Richter!'. I also remember one time in Richter's later years, Richter was in desperation save mode, and ended up making a butterfly style save and Sal was amazed at such an occurrence. Sal got out when the team started getting pretty tough to watch which makes sense. Much more fun to call games for a winner, especially when you have a personal rooting interest in the team. Would have still been a few more years until the arrival of Hank and Jagr, when things started looking up for the team.

 

[Megustaelhockey]

You just know Messina and Stan Fischler still meet up from time to time for that pasta with white clam sauce at that sketchy place out by Kennedy Airport where the wine has no label and they only take cash lol

 

[Baby Punisher]

I was randomly thinking about Sal "Red Light" Messina this morning, Googled him, and found there was a piece about him in Newsday last week. It's spooky -- almost makes you want to believe in...coincidence! (Dad joke, I'm here all week folks!)

Unfortunately, I don't have a Newday subscription, but I thought it was worth a nostalgia post for us old folks:

Where are they now: Sal 'Red Light' Messina

Messina, a Rangers broadcaster for 30 years, is one of the more memorable characters in NY sports announcing history

www.newsday.com

Recently I read an article about "Red Light" He retired at 62 which seems young, even though he looked so old. I didn't realize until I read that piece that he maintained a day job for his entire hockey career. By the time he reached 62 he was done. I do miss him and I wish MSG would bring him back a few times a year.

 

[Clark Kellogg]

Recently I read an article about "Red Light" He retired at 62 which seems young, even though he looked so old. I didn't realize until I read that piece that he maintained a day job for his entire hockey career. By the time he reached 62 he was done. I do miss him and I wish MSG would bring him back a few times a year.

For a few years after he retired whenever the Rangers played Florida they would invite him to sit in for a period on air.
At least that’s how I remember it.

 

[HFBS]

Loved Red Light. He was great alongside Marv, but was really underappreciated by the fan base. I always admired how honest & unbiased he was while still obviously wanting the team to win.

Yes. Not that much different in attitude from Dave Maloney, but a much more polished commentator.

 

[eco's bones]

Albert and Messina on the radio were way better announcers than Chadwick and Gordon on the tv broadcasts. Not even close as far as I was concerned. The two radio guys were fun to listen to....the two television guys were fussy as old ladies.

 

[Baby Punisher]

Albert and Messina on the radio were way better announcers than Chadwick and Gordon on the tv broadcasts. Not even close as far as I was concerned. The two radio guys were fun to listen to....the two television guys were fussy as old ladies.

Radio guys are usually a bit more personable. They need to connect with the listener. They aren't just doing play-by-play, they are painting a picture.

 

[eco's bones]

Radio guys are usually a bit more personable. They need to connect with the listener. They aren't just doing play-by-play, they are painting a picture.

That's true enough but for me the caveat would be is I never really found Chadwick or Gordon to be very likable.

Living upstate in the 70's and 80's I was only seeing about 30 or so regular season games a year and so over the course of my first few years as a Rangers fan I heard more games than I actually watched and when I went in the service for 4 years that turned into about 90%. Albert was an outstanding play by play guy. I use to follow the Knicks too and he was great there as well. Messina was always very insightful and never really in a homer kind of way. They would joke around with each other too without ever really getting too much away from the game. They were really good.

 

[majordomo]

Personally, I loved Chadwick.

 

[NickyFotiu]

Personally, I loved Chadwick.

Bill was the man!

 

[Hodes42]

Hearing Kenny reminds me so much of Marv. Sal and Marv were great!

 

[patnyrnyg]

Circa 1988, Cablevision lost MSG and there was a long contract dispute. When they brought it back, my parents didnt want to pay the extra $ for it. So, except for when they got bounced to MSG2, on mine, they would use The Family Channel as overflow. When that didn't happen, would listen on the radio. Always loved Red Light. For the start of 1995, I brought our cable box to the cablevision office in freeport and upgraded to get MSG. Dad and I have the same name, and account was in his name. Not sure my parents realized it, probably figured it was just a general increase.

 

[cwede]

Hearing Kenny reminds me so much of Marv. Sal and Marv were great!

That period where Marv's brothers Steve and Al were also NYC Metro area sportscasters, and all did local NHL hockey
Kenny does remind of Marv, too; not identical, but similar voice, intonation, some expressions.