We are five — count them — five days away from the start of the NHL season. Jesus, where did summer go? Oh, that’s right, summer is always shorter when your favorite team is still playing hockey in June. So while all the other bloggers around the league might need the long summer to rest up and recuperate, we do not. We are used to this. We don’t need rest. Phil Kessel is a two-time and defending Stanley Cup champion, and god damnit if we aren’t ready to spend the next eight months reminding everyone about it.
So let’s get down to business here: We’re back for year 11. This time last year, the blog was basically dead. But throughout the season we were able to add some fresh faces and were putting out content on a regular basis by December. It all started with the quality writers we brought on-board, and we stayed alive because of the people who keep coming back to this site to laugh and cry along with us. The good news is, all of the pieces to that puzzle are back again for this season, well, except one.
We lost Jesse. Jesse is dead now. I won’t go full DK and empty my diaper all over my keyboard because we are all genuinely excited for Jesse and his new opportunity. The f guy deserves it. Instead, I feel like Nick Saban watching his top player that he recruited illegally and paid for four year get drafted first overall. Anyways, you can’t replace a blogger like Jesse because most new bloggers can barely read or write, let alone do anything with numbers. But that’s okay.
To pivot, we’re going to provide A LOT more content via podcasts and video. The writing will be there, same as it ever was — this is just a different avenue we’re going to have available for you to go down. First, the podcasts. Pat and Leah are back again for their second season and will have a new show available every week. The success of their show made me wonder if we could take the podcasting game to the next level and start our own channel, so that’s what were going to do.
I am beyond excited to announce we have two new podcasts joining us. First, Chris Mueller and Kriag Riley from 93.7 The Fan joining our squad to do a bi-weekly show focused solely on the Pens. Chris Gates and Steel City Dan are bringing their Chris and Dan Show over to provide a bi-weekly Pens-centered show of their own. So each week we will have two new shows available from some really talented and entertaining people, which is pretty damn exciting. Meesh (Meesh!) and I will also have some podcasts we’ll be sprinkling in here and there. We don’t have a set schedule for that one yet because our dek hockey team is still in the playoffs (priorities), but we will eventually.
Back to the writing team…
Rezzer and RAD (@admaryland) will be splitting gameday duties.
Geoff (@G_Off817) will be handling recaps again this season.
Adrain (@PenguinsMarch) will be dropping his usual history lessons.
Cass (@nikkiscross) is the go-to for all things Wilkes-Barre Scranton.
Leah (@SeeyaLeah) will be writing posts when she can find time to stop carrying Pat.
And finally, our two-time Emmy award winning animator Stephen S. (@im_draw) will once again be holding down the graphics department.
We also have two new additions to the team. First, Peep (@PeepsBurgh), who has been doing awesome with us all summer. And Traeger (@DXTraeger), our rescue blogger we saved from another Pens site.
Finally, there’s me. I will be doing a new thing were going to tryout this year, which will basically be video uploads of knee-jerk game reactions after each game. It’s going to be fun primarily because I am usually at my most irrational state in the 15 minutes after each game. I’m actually really excited to do this, which is a new and weird feeling for me to have in October. I’m sure I’ll still randomly write here and there, but eventually that will be less and less. The reason for that: This is my last season blogging. That’s right, I’m calling this season my farewell tour. After this season is done, I am too. I loved the blogging game, it’s been good to me, now it’s time I give back. I’m going to leave everything I have out there on the internet, and when it’s over I hope I can walk off the net with my head held high.
Where the site goes when I walk away will be figured out in the next eight months, but until then enjoy the ride with us as the Pens go for three.
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