Calgary Flames lose iconic play-by-play announcer after 10 seasons

The Calgary Flames have lost many notable names over the past few years, with the likes of Johnny Gaudreau, Matthew Tkachuk, Noah Hanifin, Elias Lindholm and several long-time players moving on from Calgary. Now, the Flames have suffered yet another loss, with this one coming out of left field.

After 10 years, announcer Rick Ball is officially moving on, with the Chicago Blackhawks announcing that Ball will take over as their lead play-by-play guy starting in the 2024-25 season, leaving a major hole in the Flames product. The news was confirmed by fellow Sportsnet personality Eric Francis, who bid farewell to the much beloved Ball, who was a key part of the Flames broadcast for the past decade.

It's not yet clear who will take over as the Flames play-by-play announcer moving forward, with Harnarayan Singh an obvious candidate given the work he's done with the Flames over the past few years. Whatever the case, it's going to be a major change with Flames fans now having to embrace new faces both on and off the ice.

This is a major victory for the Chicago Blackhawks, who get one of the most consistent and fantastic announcers in the NHL, and with a new era of players on the ice, the Flames will now embrace a new voice of the team.