Jamie Rivers will replace Darren Pang on Bally Sports Midwest's Blues telecasts this season

“It's not a knock on anyone,” then Blues chairman John Davidson said. “We're just trying to get better from the beginning.”

Fourteen years later, the parties have a real opening in that lineup, and this time they're staying at home, set to announce Wednesday that Jamie Rivers will replace Pang — who earlier this summer offered to move to the Chicago Blackhawks.

Rivers, a former Blues defenseman, has been in BSM's Blues studio analyst rotation for nearly a decade and made 27 such appearances last season. He also filled in games the previous two years when Pang was moonlighting with national broadcast assignments on TNT — 12 times last season.

In addition, Rivers co-hosts the popular show “The Fast Lane” with Anthony Stalter that airs from 2 to 6 p.m. weekdays on sports station WXOS (101.1 FM) — the flagship of the Blues radio network. In addition, it operates Synergy Hockey, a training center for players of the sport.

Rivers is now also set to partner with longtime BSM Blues play-by-play announcer John Kelly in the role of primary game commentator, a position he didn't expect to reach — at least not yet.

“I'm extremely excited,” Rivers, 48, said Tuesday night. “It's an opportunity I've wanted for a long time. With Darren Pang here, I never thought this opportunity would materialize because, look, “Panger” is one of the best in the business. He's been doing it forever. At that moment (I thought), “Why should he leave? Why would there be a reason for me to leave?' I just thought I'd continue to maximize my opportunities behind the desk (in the studio) and take advantage of the opportunities I had to do things in-game.”

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

“He was the leading candidate from the beginning, but it was a very big job and there was a lot of interest,” Donovan said. “We had applicants not only from all over St. Louis but from all over the US and Canada. Some had Blues connections and some didn't. There were a lot of people who put their hand up and wanted the job.”

However, there is a chance that there will be a rocky path ahead. Bally Sports parent company Midwest Diamond Sports Group is in bankruptcy and terrible announcing, which covers the sports media industry, recently reported that the National Hockey League indicated to a judge in Houston overseeing the case that it wants assurances before the season starts in October that Diamond will be viable. Otherwise it may seek to void the carrier's contracts with certain groups. Diamond has the local rights to 11 NHL clubs in addition to the Blues, and has deals that expire this fall with two of the major programming distributors that carry 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. Louis. He said he received a substantially better deal in Chicago and expressed frustration at the slow pace of contract renewal talks with BSM, citing the initial offer of a minimal raise. He also worried about the long-term impact of the bankruptcy, saying that “Bally's financial stress” contributed to his decision to leave.

The Blues' broadcasters work for BSM, not the club, although the team does have input on that staff. The radio announcers, however, are employed by the Blues.

Donovan, BSM's general manager, 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 such decisions “are well above my pay grade.”

He also said he has a deal with 101.1 that will allow him to do “as many radio shows as I can during the hockey season,” with recent technological advances allowing him to sound like he's in the studio even if he's on road.

“I love it, it's so much fun,” she said of the program. “We have a great time on our show. The radio station is just a bunch of fantastic people. We work alongside the TV people. There is a kinship, a family atmosphere.”

Pang's arrival nearly a decade and a half ago led to the reassignment of Bernie Federko. He was the primary analyst for the Blues telecasts, but shifted to an ice-level reporting role for home games and a studio commentary position for road games. Federko later developed into a mostly studio-only analyst position and is expected to be the main face at that point on telecasts this season. A replacement for Rivers will be needed in this rotation.

But there will be no rotation this season in the game's broadcast lineup if all goes to plan. Kelly and Rivers are set to be the mainstays for the roughly 70 games BSM is expected to feature. Some observers had favored a rotation, to give multiple voices substance and a hearing in what could be a transition period for television shows depending on the bankruptcy. But that's not the plan.

“Consistency, that would be our preference,” said Donovan, who nevertheless uses a two-man rotation with the BSM Cardinals telecasts.

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

“That's a strong statement,” Donovan said. “A lot of teams are up and down from one year (to the next). But the Blues are a consistent force.”

Pang contributed a lot to this success as he had many roles, not only analyzing the game but also doing interviews. Rivers did that too, and BSM executive producer Larry Mago said that will continue.

“From a 'standard' point of view and from a duty point of view, it will be exactly the same,” Mago said. “It's not his first rodeo.”