Hockey Talk on KFAN
November 10th, 2009 | by Roy |You’d think with Minnesota being the self-proclaimed “State of Hockey” that there would be some decent offerings in terms of hockey talk on the radio, but that’s not the case. This is and always has been a Vikings town and now with Brett Favre the football fever is very high. If you tune into the local sports talk radio station, KFAN-1130, you’ll find hockey talk is very, very lacking. Here is a quick run-down of the hockey content of each of their programs:
Superstar Mike Morris ~ no hockey to speak of. Sidekick Cory Cove used to do a decent Jacques Lemaire impression, but even that has grown tiresome. Morris and the boys only talk puck if there is some fart-related joke they can turn it into.
Paul Allen ~ this time slot used to be the hockey mecca for KFAN, but ever since co-host Jeff Dubay left, hockey talk has gone the way of the dodo bird. Every once in a while Paul will bring in Brandon Mileski for “Around the Boards with B,” which is actually a pretty good hockey segment. Allen doesn’t claim to be a hockey wonk, so I applaud him for bringing in someone who is.
Common Man Dan Cole~ the progrum about nothing really is about nothing, hockey included. Interim sidekick Brandon Mileski is the resident KFAN hockey guy, so he chimes in sometimes with some puck nuggets., but most of the time is just there to hit the funny sound byte buttons.
Dan Barriero ~ again, little hockey talk to be found here. There was a significant hockey presence when Joe Anderson was on the show, but after his dismissal hockey talk is rare. The one shining light from 3 to 6pm is when Lou Nanneis on for a couple of segments. While Lou’s opinions are somewhat dated, his hockey knowledge is unparalleled.
And yes, I know there are other stations in town that sometimes talk hockey. Russo Radio on KSTP-1500 is very, very good, but it’s on for just 2 or 3 segments once a week.
By Jamaal on Nov 11, 2009
What’s up – I’m not much of a hockey fan, but I can get into the Wild from time to time. I assume the biggest reason for the decline of hockey talk on KFAN is that Dubay left. I remember many a time when I’d turn the dial during the 9-noon presentation because they got all “puck this” and “hockey stick” that.
I think I like Mileski better because I’m used to his voice on the Common Man show. He’s easier to listen to, I think. And Lou Nanne is extremely interesting, so I’m cool with him as well.
One final note – most casual fans checked out when the team started 2-7, then 3-9, so there might be fewer people calling The Fan… if consumer interest dries up, they’ll probably just talk about what people are most excited about – the Vikings.