Al Morganti

Al Morganti
Born (1953-05-28) May 28, 1953 (age 71)
Boston, Massachusetts
Occupation(s)Journalist
Television personality
Sports radio personality
Known forThe Philadelphia Inquirer
94.1 WIP
ESPN
NBC Sports Philadelphia
AwardsElmer Ferguson Memorial Award

Michael "Al" Morganti is an American journalist, who has covered the National Hockey League (NHL) and international competitions. He is currently a pre-and post-game analyst for the Philadelphia Flyers of the NHL for games broadcast on NBC Sports Philadelphia. He is also a radio personality for 94.1 WIP in Philadelphia.

Early life and education

Originally from Boston, Morganti grew up as a fan of the Boston Bruins.[1] He did not intend to work in journalism until his later years in college.[1] He graduated from the Boston University College of Communication in 1978 with a bachelor's of science.[1] While in college, Morganti started his journalism career writing for The Boston Globe covering high school and college hockey.[2]

Journalism career

Early career

Morganti's first full-time job in sports journalism came with the Ft. Lauderdale News where he covered the Miami Dolphins.[1] Having a love for hockey, Morganti then joined The Atlanta Constitution in 1979 as a hockey beat writer covering the Atlanta Flames.[1] After five months at The Atlanta Constitution, Morganti served as the Flyers beat writer for The Philadelphia Inquirer from 1979 to 1989.[3][4] In 1988, Morganti joined The Hockey News as a writer and also wrote a column in the Daily Local News three days a week.[1]

Radio career at WIP

From 1993 until 2023, Morganti was a sports radio personality for the 94.1 WIP Morning Show in Philadelphia along with co-hosts Angelo Cataldi, Rhea Hughes, and fellow Flyers broadcast crew member Keith Jones. Following Cataldi's retirement, Morganti took a new role at WIP on the weekends.[2]

Following Cataldi's retirement in 2023, Morganti took on a new role at WIP hosting a weekend show at WIP and a Flyer's podcast.[2]

Television

In 1990, Morganti was part of The Great Sports Debate on PRISM.[1] Morganti was part of a panel featuring Cataldi, Glen Macnow, Jayson Stark and later Mike Missanelli.[5] Morganti's dog, Fenway, was also a popular part of the show.[5]

Morganti then served as an NHL analyst for ESPN/ABC from 1993 to 2005 where he worked alongside other analysts including Barry Melrose and Jim Schoenfeld and studio host John Saunders.[6][1] Following his time at ESPN, Morganti accepted a position as a pre-and post-game analyst for Philadelphia Flyers games on Comcast SportsNet.[3]

Recognition

In 2022, Morganti and Bill Clement were inducted to Hockey Hall of Fame together, with him getting the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award for his excellence in hockey journalism career while Clement got the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for outstanding contributions as a hockey broadcaster.[7][8]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h "Al Morganti, the Hardest Workin' Man in Show Business". LCS Hockey. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c "After three decades, WIP's Angelo Cataldi hosts his final show". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Blumenthal, Jeff (December 17, 2014). "WIP morning show hosts sign new contracts". Philadelphia Business Journal. Archived from the original on December 18, 2014. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  4. ^ "Former Inquirer writer and current Flyers TV analyst Al Morganti, Bill Clement going into Hockey Hall of Fame". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved February 17, 2023.
  5. ^ a b "An oral history of PRISM's classic '90s show 'The Great Sports Debate'". The Athletic. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  6. ^ "Al Morganti On John Saunders: 'Best I've Ever Worked With'". CBS News. August 11, 2016. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  7. ^ Hall, Jordan (June 15, 2022). "Humble and helpful, Morganti, Clement headed for Hockey Hall of Fame". NBC Sports. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  8. ^ Hall of Fame, Hockey (2023-09-08). "Morganti, Clement to be honored by Hockey Hall of Fame | NHL.com". www.nhl.com. Retrieved 2023-09-08.