PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Two of Philadelphia’s most accomplished hockey media members are receiving a tremendous honor.
It was announced Tuesday morning that broadcasters Bill Clement and Al Morganti have been named to the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Clement has been given the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for outstanding contributions as a hockey broadcaster.
Clement played in the NHL for 11 years, winning two Stanley Cup championships. He later moved into broadcasting and became a recognizable voice in the world of hockey, narrating four Olympics and more than 20 Stanley Cup finals. He also called national and local Flyers games.
WIP Morning Show co-host Morganti was surprised with the news live on the air. He is the latest to receive the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award for hockey writing in the Hockey Hall of Fame.
Morganti has been covering hockey in Philadelphia for decades, in addition to being on the radio.
"I can't believe this. Thank you very much. I want to thank everybody there," he said Tuesday.
In his career, he has covered the Flyers and NHL for NBC Sports Philadelphia — formally Comcast Sportsnet — and the Philadelphia Inquirer and ESPN. He has also written for The Boston Globe and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Morganti thanked current Hall of Fame hockey writers, including late Philadelphia Daily News writer Jay Greenberg.
"Everything I've ever done in any aspect of work has been through hockey. It's meant so much to me. The people are just terrific. I haven't worked a day in my life because I just love that game so much," he said. "And I love the game because of the people in it and the people I've worked with in the media."
A Boston native, Morganti gave a shoutout to the town he's worked in for decades: Philadelphia.
"I just loved being in Philadelphia covering the game because the fans were so passionate about it," he added.
It's been many years since Morganti was an everyday hockey writer. The majority of his work since the early '90s has been in broadcasting, either radio or TV.
Clement also called into the WIP Morning Show to surprise Morganti.
"I never thought about an individual award or the Hall of Fame at any point in my broadcasting career because it was all about covering the game, it was all about working with a team," he said. "Individual awards have never really meant very much to me, although this one does."
"Al and Bill are legends on and off the ice here in Philly and all around the hockey world," said Dave Scott, chairman and CEO of Comcast Spectacor and governor of the Philadelphia Flyers. "They've made amazing contributions to the game, and we are so proud to call them members of the Flyers family."