Red Wings reporter Trevor Thompson let go from FanDuel Sports Network

Anyone who's tuned in for a Red Wings broadcast over the last quarter of a century has heard the voice of Trevor Thompson chiming in between periods for player interviews or to banter with Chris Osgood and John Keating during the pre‑game. Earlier today The Detroit News reported that Thompson's time in Detroit was finished.

FanDuel Sports Network Detroit's unexpected decision to terminate Thompson was confirmed just one day after Mickey York, another veteran Detroit sports reporter, announced that his position had been eliminated. These sudden exits are pointing toward drastic expense reduction as the network restructures its model — but the belt-tightening is coming at the cost of beloved on-air personalities.

A quick look on social media shows near‑unanimous outrage over FanDuel's decision to fire a fan favorite. It's disappointing to see a longtime professional like Thompson cast aside by the network, and with him and York both fired, fans are left to wonder who might be next to go.

Thompson joined the cast of Detroit's reporting team in 2000, after covering hockey, baseball, and basketball in Toronto and Vancouver. During his 25 years on the Red Wings and Tigers broadcasts, he won seven Emmys as he established himself as a key part of the network. His fun, easygoing personality brought color to his reporting, and he wasn't afraid to test his stick-handling skills against Pavel Datsyuk.

On the heels of John Keating's retirement, Thompson's departure marks the end of a sportscasting era that was led by some of Detroit's most well-known personalities. The upset over his loss shows just how lucky Red Wings fans were to have had Thompson on the broadcast team for 25 years. His work was an integral part of the on-air culture for Detroit sports, and there's no doubt that he will be missed.