This Time, It’s Permanent

In the words of the immortal Jay-Z, I would like to issue a public service announcement:

Allow me to reintroduce myself.

My name is CJ Woodling. I’m Anaheim Calling’s new permanent Managing Editor. I say “permanent” because I have actually been interim Managing Editor of Anaheim Calling for the past year and some change. I just didn’t publicize it because, let’s be real, busting through the walls of hockey media and shouting “I’m the interim guy!” isn’t as cool as busting through said wall and shouting “I’m the guy!”

If you have been reading the site or following us on Twitter for awhile, you’ll know that my status as interim Managing Editor has been an open secret for some time. To all those people, thank you for your continued support. For those who were not aware of the open secret, surprise!

I joined Anaheim Calling as a staff writer before the 2016-17 season when former Managing Editor JC McDonough brought me and several others during a tumultuous period for the site. After about a month of writing, JC elevated me to Associate Editor (along with the legendary Daniel Kleinberg) to help enhance Anaheim Calling’s coverage. It was in this position that I fell in love with hockey media and engaging in thoughtful, but also sometimes extremely stupid, discussions about this fun and ridiculous sport.

Before the 2018-19 season, JC reached out to inform me that he would be stepping down as Managing Editor and that he wanted me to be his successor. I enthusiastically accepted, pending approval from SB Nation management. After a transitionary period last season with new NHL Editorial Manager Steph Driver, she officially offered me the permanent role moving forward.

Anaheim Calling has seen explosive growth over the last couple of years driven by outstanding content from our talented staff writers, our flagship post-game podcast “AC Pod”, and a commitment to providing more balanced coverage of the Anaheim Ducks as a franchise. Our goal has always been to provide thoughtful and comprehensive coverage of the team tailored specifically to the fans, not only covering the negative but also a renewed commitment to covering the positive, and I can promise that we will continue to make this our number one priority.

As we head into a new season filled with hope and excitement brought about by a new coach and hyped prospects attempting to make the jump to full-time roles, I want to thank every single one of our readers. Without you, we would be shouting into the void, and our content would not have nearly the same quality it has now. I’m looking forward to taking Anaheim Calling to new heights in our quest to be the best gathering place on the internet for Anaheim Ducks fans.

Let’s get to work.

I want to take a brief moment to thank those who have helped me get to this position and who have played a large part in helping me discover this passion: Steph Driver, JC McDonough, Travis Hughes, Taylor Baird, Jake Rudolph, Felix Sicard, and of course, the wonderful staff at Anaheim Calling. Without them, this job would be impossible.