Behind the Mic: MSG Networks' Joe Micheletti Set to Retire; NBA on NBC' Linked to Four Marquee Names; Alanna Rizzo Joins NESN By SVG Staff Friday, May 2, 2025 - 7:50 am
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Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, including new deals, departures, and assignments compiled from press releases and reports around the industry. In this week's edition, MSG Network's Joe Micheletti retires from his role as New York Rangers analyst, Amazon's NBA coverage looks to add four recognizable names to their on-air talent, and Alanna Rizzo joins NESN.
Joe Micheletti Set to Retire as MSG Networks' New York Rangers Analyst Joe Micheletti, one of the most respected sports broadcasters in the business, is retiring from the MSG Networks New York Rangers TV booth after 19 seasons. Micheletti began his MSG Networks career as the New York Islanders TV analyst in 1998 and joined Sam Rosen on MSG Networks' Rangers broadcasts in 2006.
From pond hockey in Minnesota, to the bright lights of Broadway, my hockey journey has been a magical ride, says Micheletti. My wife Kathy and I have been thinking about this for a few years, and we decided that now is the right time to retire, and we look forward to spending more time with our family. This career has been so special because of the amazing people that I've worked with at every stop along the way. Thank you to my remarkable family at MSG Networks, to the Rangers organization, and to all the teams that allowed me to do what I love for 40 years.
Joe's experience as a player and coach, his good humor, his unparalleled preparation, his polished on-air skills, and his love of hockey combined to make him one of the hockey world's premier analysts, says MSG Networks president and CEO Andrea Greenberg. MSG Networks and its viewers have been lucky to have him for 27 years as part of our broadcast team, the last 19 as our Rangers TV analyst. We thank Joe for those many years of outstanding service and wish him the very best in his retirement.
During his prolific broadcasting career, Micheletti has been a part of broadcast teams for five Winter Olympics, 25 Stanley Cup Finals and 15 NHL All-Star games.
Micheletti won two national championships with the University of Minnesota (1974 & 1976) and played three seasons in the NHL for the St. Louis Blues and Colorado Rockies (1979-1982). He broke into broadcasting as part of the St. Louis Blues radio team in 1985. After spending two years as their radio analyst, he joined the Blues behind the bench as an assistant coach for three seasons. He returned to broadcasting in 1991-92 as the TV analyst for the Minnesota Stars before returning to St. Louis to fill the TV analyst role for the Blues. He joined Fox Sports Net New York (MSG Sports Net) in 1998 to start is his career with MSG Networks.
Report: Stan Van Gundy, Steve Nash, Dwayne Wade, Candace Parker To Join Amazon's NBA Coverage As Prime creeps closer to their National Basketball Association debut this fall, the network is rounding out their team of on-air talent. With the likes of play-by-play announcer Ian Eagle, studio host Taylor Rooks, studio analysts Dirk Nowitzki and Blake Griffin, and sideline reporter Cassidy Hubbarth joining the ranks, the streamer is linked to four notable names in the industry. According to The Athletic, TNT's Stan Van Gundy is joining as a game analyst next season.
Over in the studio, a trio of Hall of Famers Steve Nash and Dwayne Wade and Inside the NBA's Candace Parker could be joining the crew. According to Front Office Sports, Wade would be joining as a hybrid game and studio analyst while Parker would be a studio analyst for both NBA and WNBA games. Wade was NBC's top color commentator for men's Olympics basketball in Paris last year. Parker has been a longtime studio analyst for the NBA on TNT. According to NBA Insider Marc Stein, Nash would also be a part of Amazon's inaugural studio show for the NBA.
NESN Welcomes Alanna Rizzo to 2025 Talent Roster Alanna Rizzo, a seven-time Emmy Award-winning sports journalist, has joined NESN as a general sports reporter and analyst. Her duties will include co-host of the network's alternate broadcast, Unobstructed Views, occasional host and sideline reporter for NESN's Red Sox coverage, and other general reporting.
We're thrilled to welcome Alanna to the NESN team, says NESN COO Matt Volk. Her impressive track record as a sports journalist and reporter, combined with deep knowledge of baseball and energetic storytelling, will continue to elevate our coverage across platforms and enhance our baseball coverage on the network.
Rizzo, who will make her NESN debut in May, has more than 20 years experience as a baseball journalist. Currently a contributor to Foul Territory, Rizzo has also provided national baseball commentary for Blue Jays Central on SportsNet and served as host for TBS alternative baseball programming in 2023 and 2024. From 2021 through 2024, she was a regular contributor on MLB Network's High Heat with Christopher Russo, where she interviewed players, coaches and industry insiders while breaking down league-wide storylines.
Prior to her time on High Heat, Rizzo spent seven seasons as an in-game reporter and host for SportsNet Los Angeles covering the Los Angeles Dodgers. As a member of the original broadcast team for the network's 2014 launch, she reported from the field during the Dodgers' three World Series appearances in 2017, 2018, and 2020. Her work earned her the Southern California Sports Broadcasters Association's TV Reporter Award in 2019 and 2020.
I'm beyond excited to bring my passion, energy, and storytelling to such a historic and respected network, says Rizzo. NESN has an incredibl
