Anna's Thoughts (September 2024)
Sometime, probably about mid-week, expect a “News Roundup” article. In the meantime, though, here’s an “Anna’s Thoughts” where I give a mixture of serious and unserious thoughts I’ve had recently about hockey.
It’s the end of an era: the Fort Wayne Komets (of the ECHL) are moving their radio broadcast from WOWO to WXKE. This is a big change for Komets fans. Many of us only remember it being on WOWO, which has been their home since 1952, when the team began. Ok, there was one year they were on WBTU (1985-86 season), but that was it. Other than that, they have been on WOWO. It’s definitely going to be a change, but it’s for the better. For one, the games won’t be sandwiched between right-wing talk radio hosts. If it’s a night game, I don’t want to accidentally hear Sean Hannity or Mark Levin, the two evening hosts on WOWO. Now if I tune in a bit early or don’t turn the broadcast off the moment it ends, all I’ll hear is classic rock. A big improvement if you ask me. So, that is a huge incentive for me to listen to more games, because I will be honest: I genuinely haven’t listened to as many Komets games as I would’ve liked because I don’t want to hear some right-wing nutjob. Then, add to this that WXKE is one of the few local stations that actually focuses on local programming. Four local hosts who broadcast live, in fact. So, it’s heavy on focusing on Fort Wayne and appealing to a Fort Wayne audience. Meanwhile, WOWO has their morning show and after that it’s nothing but nationally (or regionally, in the case of Casey Hendrickson,) syndicated shows. So, we’re getting rid of the risk of having to hear hatred and we get good music, and it’s on a station that actually cares and focuses on Fort Wayne with hosts who will promote the Komets heavily. Plus, it’s one of the most listened to stations in the area. It’s the biggest “W” the Komets have had since last winning the Kelly Cup (yes it counted, I don’t care that it happened during COVID and there were far less teams because of it).
After Penguins signed Sidney Crosby to his two-year extension, the common refrain I’ve seen from Penguins fans is that there is no player more selfless than Crosby. That no other player would leave anywhere near as much money on the table as Crosby. It’s been one year and Patrice Bergeron has already been forgotten.
As a life-long Detroit sports fan I hate anything and everything Chicago sports. I hate every Chicago team that ever existed, currently exists, and ever will exist. The Blackhawks are hated most of all. Well, until the news that Nick Foligno is now their captain. Only him being the captain could make me not hate them with every fiber of my being. Now it’s just with 90% of my being. I’m sorry, I cannot ever fully hate a team Foligno captains. I can hate a team he’s just some player on, but not one he’s the leader of. I love him too much.
Hey guys, you know what’s baffling? What’s baffling is that Tony DeAngelo hasn’t been signed yet. You know, the guy who’s so terrible at defense that even though he puts up 40-50 points a season, he still lets in more goals. The defender who has to be deployed in a way that it’s unlikely he ever actually has to defend. But, not only is it baffling that a player of such high caliber wouldn’t be signed, but he’s really “well-liked” as well. I mean, he’s so well-liked that his own goalie punched him. Brad Marchand called him a racist. Everybody loves him. It’s just baffling, y’all.
(Yes, that last paragraph was me being highly sarcastic. I am clarifying because I know sarcasm does not always come across in written form. Hell, I often can’t tell when you’re being verbally sarcastic, so I’m making it clear now. It’s not baffling at all why he hasn’t been signed.)
To all my paid subscribers: if you stop paying for this newsletter after what I’m about to write, I understand. I’m about to ensure that I’m never taken seriously as a hockey writer ever again (as if I’m taken all that seriously to begin with). It’s to my great embarrassment that in my recent “Detroit Red Wings Thoughts” article, I forgot to sound off on the Red Wings himbo contest. Yes, @mackletrain on Bluesky and Bex (on both Bluesky and Twitter) have run a vote for the last few years on who is the Red Wings himbo (you can vote here in the preliminary round). It is very important I sound off on this. Once again, I am so sorry to everyone reading this newsletter thinking I am a serious writer meant to be taken seriously. I am not. I’m sorry if I ever misled you. Anyway, the only answer, the only correct answer, is Joe Veleno. He is by far and away (now that Fabbri is gone) the most physically attractive player on the roster and the one who fits the definition of “himbo” the best. I will not accept any other answer, if you think otherwise, you’re just wrong. I’m putting my foot down on this. He deserves a third straight crown. Do your part and ensure he gets the crown again. Vote.
There is no such contest for the Blue Jackets (at least, that I know of), but if we’re being completely honest, the answer is Cole Sillinger. Now, the player I personally think is the hottest is Kirill Marchenko but he’s not a himbo. Frankly, I’m struggling to think of who else could be the Blue Jackets himbo. It’s got to be Cole.
Anyway, those are just my thoughts. If you found value in this article, please consider paying for a subscription here at Prism Hockey, as subscription money goes to other subscriptions such as DeepL (for translating articles in other languages to cover hockey news around the world) or Google One (necessary for storage for my articles and graphics on social media) to ensure I can continue to cover hockey. If you aren’t able to buy a paid subscription, please consider at least getting a free subscription as all articles are free, and sharing this article. I’d also love to hear your thoughts on this article in the comments below (only paid subscribers can comment) or on social media. I can be found on Bluesky, Instagram (Personal | Prism Hockey), Mastodon, Threads, Tumblr, and Twitter.