Hockey in Chicago -- is it still a hockey town? (Rockford: how much, house)

[HockeyFan]

I've discussed this on several hockey boards, but I'm interested in what the general population thinks.

Is Chicago still a hockey town? One of the great hockey towns of the 50s through the 90s, there's no question the Blackhawks are not what they once were in the city's sports scene. But... is it still a hockey town? By that, I mean, are people hockey fans -- are they aware of the going ons of hockey, do they know the game, do they still love the game even if they don't love the Hawks like they once did?

Also, would a couple of winning seasons turn it around?

Since we had so much hockey talk on another thread, I thought I'd open one up just for hockey!

[M TYPE X]

NO. Detroit is Hockeytown USA. Thanks for visiting.

[Steve-o]

Originally Posted by M TYPE X

NO. Detroit is Hockeytown USA. Thanks for visiting.

Pfft. Hardly. Detroit is more like BandwagonerTown if anything.

To the OP: visit Chicago Blackhawks - The Official Web Site and join the message boards. There are tens of thousands of users that'll clue you in. Sure weve been Cup-less since 61, but the fans are still here, although alot less vocal. Im giong to the opening night against the Wings, itll be a great game to go to. Will you be in town then? If so, I highly recommend going. Cheap tickets are $10, parking $20.

[HockeyFan]

I won't be around, but hopefully you'll see a large crowd that night.

How much of the harm has been done by blacking out home games from television? To me, it seems the average fan can only afford to go to a few games in person and then watches the rest on TV -- but if all games aren't on TV, it's perfectly understandable that people would lose interest.

[mdz]

"How much of the harm has been done by blacking out home games from television?"

Tons. An entire generation has already grown up not able to watch the hawks. And as steve-o said, it's gonna take a few winning seasons (in a row) to even start getting the die-hards back. Hawks fans are much like Sox fans--if you put a cruddy product out there, you're not going to get people at the stadium. Not because they don't care about the team, but because they're not going to spend their hard-earned dollars watching garbage.

The few games I've gone to the last 5 years or so have really been depressing. I kid you not, being at the old stadium when it was loud and packed sent shivers up my spine. it was that good. And I can't tell you how ticked off I am that the organization has taken that away from me.

I am biased, and think the true hawks fans are the best in the world, but in terms of the entire city being a hockey town--we're way behind Detroit, minneapolis, boston. We don't have big college programs here like they do, we certainly don't have a packed house at the United Center for the High school finals like they do up in the Twin Cities. We're a Bears town first, then Cubs, then Bulls, then Sox, then Hawks.

[Frank the Tank]

Two words: Bill Wirtz. The absolute worst owner in all of professional sports. Only he could make the McCaskey family, Jerry Reinsdorf, and the Tribune Company look like free spenders - and that's saying something. As long as Dollar Bill controls the Hawks, hockey is sadly going to be a tough sell here. Anyway, I wrote an extended post on my blog last year about the state of hockey in America and Chicago in terms of what needs to be changed if you're interested:

Oh Lord, Stanley: A Modest Proposal to Save the NHL « FRANK THE TANK’S SLANT

[amy_cate]

hope so... am gonna miss the rangers!!

[Steve-o]

www.wirtzsucks.com

[HockeyFan]

It is so sad to see what has happened. It may be asking for a lot at this point, but to see the United Center full and noisy once again, that would be great for all hockey fans everywhere.

With the UHL Hounds folding, that's not a great sign either.

Check out a USHL Steel game at The Edge in Bensenville sometime. It's junior hockey, the closest U.S. equivalent to major junior. The league has got a lot more attention from the scouts in recent years -- I think you'll find you enjoy junior hockey. And it's something like $8 for a ticket! http://www.chicagosteelhockeyteam.com/

[Steve-o]

Thanks for the tip! The Hawks moved their AHL team (used to be Norfolk Admirals) to Rockford, IL, so thats also cool. I plan on checking out a few games this year as well. Theyre called the Rockford IceHogs if youre interested.