Over the last few years, Puckin Hostile has grown to levels I didn't think were possible, especially from an angry little independent “blog”. We took some chances, and made some mistakes, but we came out the other end smarter and more hungry. Truth be told, I've had several offers to work for other websites. None of them felt comfortable enough for me to step away from what has become a large part of my personality. It just never "felt right". As a person who almost exclusively trusts my instincts, I held my ground.
Down to business, though. I know this sounds like a funeral, but what does all this mean?
Puckin Hostile will remain as an archive of the 7 plus years of hard work, but I'll be writing and recording exclusively for the team at The-Rink.com. You might still see a guest recap coming every now and then. I cannot say it enough, but thank you.
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On to the next chapter...
First of all, I want to thank Pat Stankus. While I was able to pull this Hostile tire fire off alone for a few years, it never really got rolling until Pat came aboard and we started the Shoutcast together. I may have been the initial creator, but Pat was an enormous part of what it became. Behind the scenes, he was a huge contributor and sacrificed so much of his free time to provide us all the edgy and humorous content that I started this website to provide. From day one, with absolutely no directive needed, we have been on the same page and I cannot say that about almost anyone. To say I'm a peculiar, paranoid and quirky person is to put it lightly. Go back and listen to the last 10 mins of Shoutcast 93 to hear my thoughts on Fatrick.
I'd like to also, give a huge thanks to Bryan (AtomicFroster), Patrick Norton and, yes, even the infamous Derek Harms. All three gave up free time in their personal lives to take part in the writing, recording, and graphical content. It's not easy, or even fair, in any capacity. Frosty, and Norton picked up the slack when Pat or I got bogged down, and seamlessly provided that trademark Hostile content, sometimes at a moment's notice. While Harms wasn't a writer, per se, he provided so much Shoutcast content (intended or not), as well as his photoshopping prowess. This helped free me up to focus on other things that I needed to focus on. We gave Harms a lot of crap, but he was a big part of the history of Shoutcast lore. Like Harvey Dent and Batman once said, "you either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain".
Over the last couple of years, several people have stepped in to volunteer their time on both the Shoutcast and website. Writing accurate game recaps are not easy, especially when you haven’t trained yourself to do so. Stacy Sarasin, Ryan Leidig, Ray Ray, Kevin M, Ken K, Sharon, and anyone I might have missed, THANK YOU!
Over the years we've gained many new friends (and probably even more enemies). I can't thank them enough for their influence and content they selflessly gave us. From Forklift and CT at HockeeNight, who inspired me to start the Shoutcast (eventually becoming guests). To Jay Zawaski, from the Score 670, and James Neveau, from NBC Chicago, and their Madhouse Chicago podcast (who also have been guests). Keith Schultz and his merry crew of writers at Blackhawk Up. Greg Boysen, formerly of Second City Hockey, and more recently LetsGoHawks.net. More recently, we were able to reach out and become friends with William (Animal Mother) Bartrum from The Biscuit podcast, as well as John and Jacob from the Talkin Hawks podcast.
Lastly, and maybe most importantly, I want to thank YOU, the fans. The super fans like the Honorable Gonernor Wm_J_Lepetomane, Rockford correspondent Beth Sweeney, and CHISox_History. Our amazing international fans like Berns_Churches from South Africa, JMacBoii from Australia, and Heloiza from Brasil. You're all so wonderful and generous. We didn't deserve fans so good and dedicated.
I’m working on a possible Chicago area informal meet up just to thank everyone for their support over the years. There may even be one last Shoutcast nugget in the works as well, for old times sakes. Until then, Let me leave you with one of my favorite songs...