THE SAVTINI GAZETTE

JOHN DAVIDSON & SAL “RED LIGHT” MESSINA: THE VOICES THAT BROUGHT HOCKEY HOME

As the NHL Season Gets Underway, Savtini Remembers Two Classic Voices of the Game

By Anthony “Savtini” Savage | Savtini Sports

There's something special about hockey season.

The sound of skates cutting across fresh ice, the crack of a slap shot, the roar of a packed arena, and that unforgettable red light flashing behind the goal.

For generations of hockey fans, those sounds meant one thing: the NHL was back!

But for Savtini, some of hockey's greatest memories aren't just about the players on the ice. They're about the voices that brought those games into our homes.

And two names deserve a special place in that conversation.

John Davidson and Sal “Red Light” Messina.

For New York Rangers fans especially, these men helped make hockey more than a sporting event. They made it an experience.

John Davidson: From the Crease to the Microphone

Before John Davidson became one of hockey's most respected broadcasters, he knew exactly what it meant to face a speeding puck.

A former NHL goaltender with the St. Louis Blues and New York Rangers, Davidson understood the game from the ice up.

He helped lead the Rangers to the 1979 Stanley Cup Final, giving him firsthand experience of hockey's biggest stage.

When his playing career ended, Davidson found a new home behind the microphone.

Beginning in the 1980s, he became a familiar presence on Rangers television broadcasts, eventually forming a legendary partnership with play-by-play announcer Sam Rosen.

Together, Sam and J.D. became essential listening for Rangers fans.

Davidson had a gift for explaining hockey without making it complicated. He understood positioning, defensive coverage, goaltending, and the small decisions that could change a game.

But most importantly, he made the audience feel like part of the action.

When the Rangers finally captured the Stanley Cup in 1994, ending a 54-year championship drought, Davidson was there to share the emotion.

For Savtini, that is what great broadcasting is all about.

Knowing the game is important. Making people feel the game is something special.

Sal “Red Light” Messina: A Voice from Hockey's Golden Radio Days

Then there was Salvatore Messina, better known to hockey fans as Sal “Red Light” Messina.

A former amateur goaltender himself, Messina brought his understanding of hockey to the Rangers' radio broadcasts.

Working alongside announcers including Marv Albert and Kenny Albert, Messina helped listeners follow the speed, strategy, and excitement of the game.

And hockey on the radio required a special kind of talent.

There were no instant replays, no graphics, and no camera angles to explain what had happened.

The announcers had to paint the picture.

You could be driving home, sitting in the kitchen, or listening through a small transistor radio, and suddenly Madison Square Garden seemed only a few feet away.

Messina's knowledge and conversational style made him a familiar companion to Rangers fans.

His contributions were recognized with the 2005 Foster Hewitt Memorial Award, one of hockey broadcasting's highest honors.

For Savtini, voices like Messina's represent an era when listening to a game could be every bit as exciting as watching it.

When the Broadcasters Became Part of the Team

What made Davidson and Messina memorable wasn't flashy production or modern technology.

It was authenticity.

Both had spent time in goal. Both understood hockey's pressure, its physical demands, and its unpredictable nature.

And both could explain the game while preserving the excitement that made fans fall in love with it.

They belonged to a broadcasting tradition in which announcers became part of a team's identity.

Fans didn't simply tune in to hear the score.

They tuned in to hear familiar voices guide them through another unforgettable night.

Savtini's Final Word

As another NHL season gets underway, the game continues to evolve.

Players are faster, technology is better, and broadcasts bring us closer to the action than ever before.

But something about those classic hockey voices remains impossible to replace.

For Savtini, John Davidson and Sal “Red Light” Messina belong among the memorable voices of NHL broadcasting, particularly for the generations of Rangers fans who grew up with them.

They understood that hockey wasn't just about goals, penalties, and final scores.

It was about excitement, tradition, and the memories shared between generations.

So here's to J.D. and Red Light.

Thanks for the memories, the knowledge, and all those unforgettable nights at the Garden.

The puck may stop. The final horn may sound. But the great voices of hockey live on forever.

Great Stories Never Get Old.

— Anthony “Savtini” Savage
The Savtini Gazette | Savtini Sports
www.savtini.com