Hall of Fame Chicago Blackhawks announcer Pat Foley will call his final season for the team next season, the team announced Wednesday.
The 2021-22 season marks the last of Foley's contract and his 39th season in the booth. The Hawks said they are planning " a year-long celebration" in his honor.
"Pat Foley has been synonymous with Chicago Blackhawks hockey for well over a generation," said Blackhawks Chairman Rocky Wirtz in a statement. "We are thankful for the memories Pat has created for our fans through the years and he will continue to be a part of the Blackhawks family."
Wirtz said the team is "excited to begin this search for a new television play-by-play broadcaster who will create Blackhawks memories for the next generation of fans."
Foley, a native of Chicago's northern suburbs who called Blackhawks games between 1980 and 2006 and then again beginning in 2008, is a 2002 Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame inductee and multi-time Emmy-award winner.
He partners with Eddie Olczyk to broadcast Blackhawks games on NBC Sports Chicago, a sister station of NBC 5.
"Listening to the great Lloyd Pettit fostered a love for the Chicago Blackhawks and broadcasting at an early age," Foley said. "To follow in his footsteps and broadcast for the team for nearly 40 years is a dream come true for a Chicago native."
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Foley will use part of the next season's games to "pass the torch to his successor."
"Any kid who eats, sleeps and breathes sports, grows up wanting to play for their hometown team," Foley said. "Thankfully for me, I realized early on that my playing career wouldn’t last beyond intramurals and that broadcasting was the next best thing to staying around the game. I have had conversations with the Blackhawks about my future, and because I cannot guarantee that I would like to continue beyond the length of my contract that ends after next season, they must look ahead. I support and respect their plan to transition the broadcast booth and I’m thankful to the Wirtz family and the Blackhawks for this opportunity."
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