On Monday, February 24, 2024, MSG legendary studio host Al Trautwig passed away due to complications from cancer. He was 68.

New York Knicks studio analyst Alan Hahn revealed the sad news on Twitter yesterday. Hahn paid tribute to Trautwig in a series of tweets on what he meant to his career.

When it came to setting up a big game on MSG Networks, nobody was better than Trautwig. Whether it was the Knicks, Rangers, or Yankees, he brought so much to the table. It felt different when he hosted a game. He could highlight the bullet points and emphasize the importance during games.

Trautwig also worked for ABC, NBC, and USA Network. When he wasn’t on MSG, he was telling captivating stories about the journeys of athletes during the Olympics. A versatile announcer, he could call big events. It was his tremendous storytelling that made him so great.

In the 90s when the Knicks and Rangers were both their peak, Trautwig was there to anchor everything. That included covering the Rangers winning the Stanley Cup in 1994. After they won Game 7 over the Canucks, he was in the locker room interviewing several players during the celebration, which included champagne. My favorite interview has to be the one he had with Alex Kovalev, who celebrated the victory with his lucky troll.

At the time, Kovalev became one of the first Russian hockey players to win the Cup. That also included Sergei Nemchinov, Sergei Zubov, and Alexander Karpovtsev, who all made history together.

Trautwig was with MSG Network from 1989 until 2019. He leaves behind a legacy that’ll be fondly remembered by his peers and the athletes he covered.