Jamie Rivers will replace Darren Pang on the Blues shows at Bally Sports Midwest this season

“This is not a knock on anyone,” Blues president John Davidson said. “It’s just that we’re trying to be better at everything.”

Fourteen years ago the parties had an actual opening in that line to fill and this time staying at home, it was scheduled to be announced on Wednesday that Jamie Rivers would replace Pang – who earlier this summer init took an offer to move to the Chicago Blackhawks’ television team.

Rivers, a former Blues defenseman, has been in the rotation of BSM’s Blues studio analysts for nearly a decade and made 27 such appearances last season. He also filled in for games the past two years when Pang moonlighted on TNT’s national broadcast duties — 12 times last season.

In addition, Rivers co-hosts the popular “The Fast Lane” show with Anthony Stalter that airs from 2-6 pm weekdays on sports-talk station WXOS (101.1 FM) — the flagship Blues radio network. In addition he runs Synergy Hockey, a training center for players in the game.

Rivers is now also set to work alongside longtime BSM Blues play-by-play announcer John Kelly in the lead game-commentator role, a position he never expected to achieve – at least not yet.

“I’m very happy,” Rivers, 48, said Tuesday night. “This is an opportunity that I have wanted for a long time. With Darren Pang I never thought this opportunity would come because, look, ‘Panger’ is one of the best in the business. He’s been doing this forever. At that time (I thought), ‘Why would he leave? Why is there a reason to leave?’ I just think I’m going to continue to maximize my opportunities behind the (studio) desk and take advantage of any opportunities I have to do things in the game.

BSM general manager Jack Donovan said that Rivers stood out among the applicants for the position.

“He’s been the leading candidate from the get-go, but it’s a big job and there’s a lot of interest,” Donovan said. “We have candidates from not only all over St. Louis but throughout the US and Canada. Some have Blues connections and some don’t. There are many people who raise their hand and want the job. “

However, there is a chance of a rocky road ahead. Bally Sports Midwest parent company Diamond Sports Group is bankrupt, and terrible announcement. Otherwise, it may seek to cancel the carrier contracts of some teams. Diamond has local rights to 11 NHL clubs in addition to the Blues, and has deals expiring this fall with two of the major programming distributors that carry the Bally-branded networks – DirecTV and Comcast.

Pang left in June to take a role with the Blackhawks similar to the one he had in St. Louis. He said he received a better deal in Chicago and expressed frustration at the slow pace of contract renewal talks with BSM, citing the initial offer of a small raise. He was also concerned about the long-term impact of the bankruptcy, saying “Bally’s financial stress” led to his decision to leave.

The Blues’ TV broadcasters work for BSM, not the club, although the team has input on that staff. Radio announcers, however, are used by the Blues.

Donovan, the general manager of BSM, declined to comment on the bankruptcy status.

Rivers said BSM’s financial instability has not deterred his interest in continuing the job and added that decisions like that are “beyond my salary.”

He also said he worked out a deal with 101.1 that will allow him to do “as many radio shows as I can throughout the hockey season,” with recent technological advances allowing him to sounds like he’s in the studio even when he’s on the road.

“I like it, it’s a lot of fun,” he said about the program. “We had a great time on our show. The radio station is just a bunch of amazing people. We work with TV people. There’s a kinship, a family” atmosphere.

Pang’s arrival nearly a decade and a half ago led to the transfer of Bernie Federko. He was the primary analyst on Blues telecasts but was relegated to an ice-level reporting role for home games and a studio commentary slot for road games. Federko later became an analyst post mostly in the studio, and is expected to be the main man in that area on the telecasts this season. It is necessary to replace Rivers in that rotation.

But there will be no rotation this season in the game-broadcast lineup if everyone goes to blueprint. Kelly and Rivers are set to be mainstays in approximately 70 games expected to be shown on BSM. Some observers favor a rotation, to give many voices the essence and audition in what could be a period of transition for telecasts depending on the bankruptcy. But that was not the plan.

“Consistency, that would be our preference,” said Donovan, who still uses a two-man rotation in BSM’s Cardinals telecasts.

The Blues have been consistent in their ratings, ranking in the top five for US-based teams over the past decade.

“That’s a powerful statement,” Donovan said. “A lot of teams go up and down one year (the next). But the Blues are a consistent powerhouse.

Pang was a big contributor to that success because he filled multiple roles, not only doing game analysis but also conducting interviews. Rivers did that too, and BSM executive producer Larry Mago said that will continue.

“From a ‘formatic’ standpoint and a functional standpoint, it’s the same,” Mago said. “This is not his first rodeo.”