| Darren Pang | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | February 17, 1964 Meaford, Ontario, Canada |
| Height | 5 ft 5 in (1.65 m) |
| Weight | 155 lb (70 kg; 11 st 1 lb) |
| Position | Goaltender |
| Catches | Left |
| Played for | Chicago Blackhawks |
| National team |  Canada
|
| NHL Draft | Undrafted |
| Playing career | 1984–1989 |
Darren Pang (born Darren Robert Pang on February 17, 1964) is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender and currently a hockey media personality.
He played his professional career with the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League (NHL) from 1984-85 and 1987-89.
Playing Career[]
Darren grew up playing hockey in Nepean, Ontario for the Nepean Raiders. As a youth, he played alongside many future NHLers, including Doug Smith, Dan Quinn and Steve Yzerman. He played in many prestigious minor hockey tournaments as a youth goalie.
He played for the West Ottawa Golden Knights alongside former NHLer Dan Quinn in the Quebec Pee Wee Tournament, and for the Nepean Raiders Major Midget team that represented Ottawa in the Air Canada Cup as a 15 year old.
Darren was the first goalie drafted by the expansion Belleville Bulls, winning their first ever game in the OHL. He was traded to the Ottawa 67's, where he won the Memorial Cup in 1984, while garnering the Top goalie and All-Star team awards.
Standing at 5'5", Darren was the 2nd shortest goalie behind only Roy "Shrimp" Worters to play in the NHL and was often humorously considered to have a "sixth hole" above his head.
He was named to the NHL All-Rookie Team in 1988 and was a finalist for the Calder Trophy as the NHL's Rookie of the year, won by Hall of Famer Joe Nieuwendyk. His first win was recorded on October 18, 1987 against the Winnipeg Jets.
On August 15, 1984, Darren was signed as a free agent by the Chicago Blackhawks on August 15, 1984. He also set a Blackhawks goaltender's record with six assists in the 1987-88 NHL season and had 9 points in his brief NHL career.
On September 21, 1990, Darren suffered from a career-ending knee injury during training camp. During his playing career, he was known to vomit before each game as Glenn Hall had.
Career Statistics[]
Regular season[]
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | T | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980–81 | Nepean Raiders | CCHL | 41 | — | — | — | 2316 | 154 | 0 | 3.99 | — |
| 1981–82 | Belleville Bulls | OHL | 47 | 15 | 21 | 1 | 2234 | 173 | 0 | 4.65 | — |
| 1982–83 | Belleville Bulls | OHL | 12 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 570 | 44 | 0 | 4.63 | — |
| 1982–83 | Ottawa 67's | OHL | 47 | 28 | 14 | 3 | 2729 | 166 | 1 | 3.65 | — |
| 1983–84 | Ottawa 67's | OHL | 43 | 29 | 10 | 1 | 2318 | 117 | 2 | 3.03 | — |
| 1984–85 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 60 | 4 | 0 | 4.00 | .818 |
| 1984–85 | Milwaukee Admirals | IHL | 53 | 19 | 29 | 3 | 3129 | 226 | 0 | 4.33 | — |
| 1985–86 | Saginaw Generals | IHL | 44 | 21 | 21 | 0 | 2638 | 148 | 2 | 3.37 | — |
| 1986–87 | Nova Scotia Oilers | AHL | 7 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 389 | 21 | 0 | 3.24 | .885 |
| 1986–87 | Saginaw Generals | IHL | 44 | 25 | 16 | 0 | 2500 | 151 | 0 | 3.62 | — |
| 1987–88 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 45 | 17 | 23 | 1 | 2547 | 163 | 0 | 3.84 | .891 |
| 1988–89 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 35 | 10 | 11 | 6 | 1644 | 120 | 0 | 4.38 | .869 |
| 1988–89 | Saginaw Hawks | IHL | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 89 | 6 | 0 | 4.04 | — |
| 1989–90 | Indianapolis Ice | IHL | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 401 | 17 | 1 | 2.54 | — |
| IHL totals | 150 | 70 | 67 | 5 | 8757 | 548 | 3 | 3.75 | — | ||
| NHL totals | 81 | 27 | 35 | 7 | 4251 | 287 | 0 | 4.05 | .882 | ||
Playoffs[]
| Season | Team | League | GP | W | L | MIN | GA | SO | GAA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982–83 | Ottawa 67's | OHL | 9 | 5 | 4 | 510 | 33 | 0 | 3.88 | — |
| 1983–84 | Ottawa 67's | OHL | 13 | — | — | 726 | 41 | 1 | 3.31 | — |
| 1983–84 | Ottawa 67's | M-Cup | 5 | 3 | 1 | 226 | 13 | 0 | 3.45 | — |
| 1985–86 | Saginaw Generals | IHL | 8 | 3 | 5 | 492 | 32 | 0 | 3.90 | — |
| 1986–87 | Nova Scotia Oilers | AHL | 3 | 1 | 2 | 200 | 11 | 0 | 3.30 | — |
| 1987–88 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 4 | 1 | 3 | 239 | 18 | 0 | 4.52 | .862 |
| 1988–89 | Chicago Blackhawks | NHL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 1.000 |
| 1989–90 | Indianapolis Ice | IHL | 4 | 3 | 1 | 253 | 12 | 0 | 2.85 | — |
| IHL totals | 12 | 6 | 6 | 745 | 44 | 0 | 3.54 | — | ||
| NHL totals | 6 | 1 | 3 | 249 | 18 | 0 | 4.35 | .866 | ||
Broadcast Career[]
These days, Darren is a rinkside reporter for the Chicago Blackhawks TV broadcasts. He was recently named an "Inside the Glass" reporter for regular season and playoff action for NHL on NBC. He also contributes to Home Ice, XM Satellite Radio's all-hockey channel.
He was a top color commentator for ESPN National Hockey Night and NHL on ABC for 13 seasons alongside Steve Levy and has broadcast over 95 Stanley Cup Finals games on National TV.
He has worked as an analyst for 3 Winter Olympics.
In 1998 in Nagano, Japan, Darren was assigned as the first Olympic reporter that received full access "between the benches" with no glass separating him from the benches on CBS.
He also worked as an on rinkside reporter in 2002 for NBC.
On July 9, 2009, it was announced that Darren would be the rinkside reporter for the Chicago Blackhawks TV broadcasts while Pat Foley and Steve Konroyd work together in the broadcast booth.
Personal Life[]
Darren and his wife Lynn reside in St. Louis in the up-scale neighborhood of Lafayette Square.
His father Gerry Pang, was an associate coach with the NAHL's Fernie Ghostriders in 2003-2004.
He s best friend is former Detroit Red Wings captain and current Tampa Bay Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman. He was the best man at Yzerman's wedding.
On January 2, 2007, Darren served as the master of ceremonies for Yzerman's jersey retirement ceremony which was held at Joe Louis Arena prior to a game between the Red Wings and the Anaheim Ducks.