Sam Rosen reveals the real reason he is retiring.

Legendary broadcast voice of the New York Rangers Sam Rosen is being celebrated on Saturday and he deserves every bit of the love and recognition that he has received for his incredible work in the broadcast booth over my lifetime.

Rosen announced earlier this year that this season would be his last but on Saturday he shared some insight into what led him to make such a major decision, a decision that will move him a little further away from the sport and team he has loved all his life. Speaking with members of the media ahead of his big day, Rosen revealed that the thought of retirement entered his mind after his health had failed him last year.

"Last May I had a little bit of an illness and I missed a couple of playoff games on the radio and I think that kind of hits you," admitted Rosen. "What if you were on the road and you got sick? How would that feel? What would that mean? That is when I started to think about it seriously and talk about it with my wife and my family."

Rosen also expressed concerns about the diminishing quality of his work, insisting that he wants to go out on a high note.

"This is the right time," said Rosen. "I've always said to my family 'If my level of performance falls off you have to tell me' because I don't want to be hanging around."

Rosen doesn't have anything to worry about in that regard as one of the most beloved and well respected voices in the entire sport of hockey, but there is one more factor that I believe pushed him towards retirement. Although Rosen didn't mention this as one of his reasons for leaving the job, it is clearly something he will be happy to leave behind when he goes.

"The travel gets tedious," admitted Rosen. "The packing REALLY stinks."

There was so much emphasis on Rosen's hatred of packing that I suspect that may very well be the real reason he is hanging it up at the end of this season. You can hear Rosen's comments uttered in his wonderful voice in the short clip below.