The SBP Archives - Your less than frequent dose of SBP!

You'd think that headline might be something you'd read in the paper from the 1950s or 60s, but Blackhawks ownership is doing something they haven't done in a long time tonight...showing one of their home games on television.

Late Blackhawks owner Bill Wirtz claimed showing the home games on TV wouldn't be fair to the season ticketholders. Talk like that DOES sound like it comes from the 50s, where fans buy tickets not just to watch their team but experience the atmosphere a live crowd with thousands of others. If Wirtz was indeed sincere, the downside is that a sports fans in Chicago who can't afford to go to games will opt for one of the many other options available: The Bears, White Sox, Cubs or Bulls. It's a big town that can support many pro sports franchises.

So while the Blackhawks struggled and ticket sales went down, it was hard for ownership to get new fans to support them since they weren't on television and perhaps the most important demographic, children, were not lured into being Blackhawks fans.

Now that Chicago has strung together some wins and have two of the hottest rookies in the NHL: Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane, it's time to advertise. That's what television does: provide awareness of their product and entices people to go to games, buy the merchandise and concessions, etc. When Chicago sees the young prospects they have, it should attract more interest. And since season ticket numbers for this original 6 franchise are so bad, there really isn't much to lose here.

No one wants to see a franchise with a history like the Blackhawks struggle and perhaps threaten to leave town because of poor ownership decisions. This should also be a reminder to all other NHL owners who salivate at the thought of putting all of their games on pay-per-view: you can only gouge so much before fans decide to go elsewhere.