Steve Mears, formerly of the Pittsburgh Penguins broadcast team, has been announced as Jeff Rimer's replacement to handle the play-by-play duties for Bally Sports Ohio's television broadcasts of Blue Jackets hockey.
Im beyond thrilled and very honored to be joining a first class organization like the @BlueJacketsNHL as their TV play-by-play broadcaster and returning to the great state of Ohio! Cant wait to cover this team & live in one of the best cities in the NHL!
— Steve Mears (@MearsyNHL) July 2, 2024
Mears spent the 2023-24 season as the play-by-play broadcaster of the Penguins Radio Network and prior to that had been the television play-by-play broadcaster of the Penguins on AT&T SportsNet.
He was in that role for a total of six seasons.
Prior to joining the Penguins broadcast booths, Mears was with the NHL Network for five years. While there, he was the voice of NHL International and gave play-by-play for special events, including outdoor games, All-Star Games, and the Stanley Cup Finals.
During the 2023-24 Stanley Cup playoffs, Mears worked select games for TNT.
Mears is a native of Pennsylvania but is familiar with Ohio, as the 44-year-old is a graduate of Bowling Green State University.
His first NHL job came in 2006 at the age of 26, when he spent the first of three seasons as the radio play-by-play broadcaster for the New York Islanders.
Mears is married to his wife, Kirstin, and the couple have a one-year-old child, Carter.
