94WIP morning co-host Al Morganti will enter the Hockey Hall of Fame this evening, and his colleague Angelo Cataldi took time on the station’s morning show to honor Morganti Monday morning.
“I have to — at least for one moment — acknowledge the contribution that Al has made to our show and to our lives,” said Cataldi. “If you don’t know the story, the only reason I’m in radio is because Al conned management into giving us a part-time job 35 years ago. The only reason this show has lasted as long as it has is because Al refused to leave for his hometown of Boston when I had an offer to leave to make a dollar more than they were giving me here.”
Cataldi credited Morganti as being the “brains of the operation” so-to-speak.
“Al has made most of the important decisions we have made on this show,” Cataldi admitted. “Al will sit in our meetings we have after the show and contribute no more than he has on the show itself. Occasionally something, but doesn’t say that much. But then a crisis would come up and we would turn to Al and say ‘Al, what should we do here?’ And he always knew the right thing. We never contradicted what his decision was, cause we trusted him.
“He was the smartest guy on this show for the last 30 years. I can tell you that with 100% certainty. What he has done in hockey is second to none because he truly acknowledged the sport at a time when not many people did. And he got inside it better than anyone else.”
The station shared several tributes to Morganti from former NHL players, NHL media members, and station personnel giving their regards to the longtime Philadelphia personality. Cataldi also welcomed former Flyer and current NHL analyst Keith Jones to the show to honor Morganti.
“I just talked to him on the phone and he sounds like a different person,” Jones said. “I don’t know what’s happened to him since he arrived in Toronto over the weekend. Something has happened. He’s telling me how beautiful Canada is. Said it’s the nicest city he’s ever been to in the world. I think we’ve lost Al to be honest with you.”
