The Pittsburgh Penguins have appointed Joe Brand as the new radio play-by-play announcer for the Penguins Radio Network. Brand will lead the coverage for all Penguins regular-season and playoff games, joined by color analyst Phil Bourque.
He replaces Steve Mears, who spent one season in the booth. Paul Steigerwald will continue his role as the pre- and post-game host.
The 33-year-old comes to Pittsburgh after spending the past three seasons with the Chicago Blackhawks, where he served as studio host and occasionally stepped in for play-by-play broadcaster on WGN-AM. He also anchored the weekly Blackhawks Live radio show.
Apart from his hockey commentary, Brand has called baseball, football, and basketball at both professional and collegiate levels. He has covered select regular-season games for the White Sox on ESPN 1000 WMVP and has been involved with the Kane County Cougars as a radio and television broadcaster.
Penguins President of Business Operations Kevin Acklin commented, “We are excited to welcome Joe Brand to the Penguins family and introduce him to the best fans in hockey. The Penguins have been fortunate to have some of the best voices to ever call the game sit in that chair, and we look forward to Joe making his own mark here in Pittsburgh.”
