Chicago Blackhawks: Growth of hockey in town’s culture

The Chicago Blackhawks have played a major role in growing the game of hockey in the city of Chicago.

ESPN’s First Take is one of the most popular sports debate shows in the world. It is clear that Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman, the show’s hosts, are not hockey guys. That is okay, not everybody has to like hockey. On top of that, the NHL is the only major sport that ESPN doesn’t have any money invested in. Well, Max Kellerman went on and basically said that nobody in America likes hockey and it isn’t one of the four major sports. Well, Chicago Blackhawks fans know just how false both of those statements are.

Is hockey in fourth place behind baseball, football, and basketball? Yes. Yes, it is and it really isn’t close. That doesn’t mean that nobody likes it or it isn’t one of the big four. In fact, on NBC Sports Chicago, the highest-rated games in the channel’s history are hockey. To say nobody likes it is a joke of a statement and it is offensive to people who are passionate and work hard to cover the game. It is also an insult to the incredible athletes that play a game that is incredibly difficult.

Things weren’t all fine and dandy forever as far as hockey in the United States, however. The game has grown in American faster than any other country. Canada still dominates but the United States has been making a climb in the ranks. Patrick Kane became the sixth American to ever be taken with the first overall pick in the 2007 NHL Draft. Brian Lawton, Mike Modano, Bryan Berard, Rick DiPietro, and Erik Johnson came before him. Since then, Auston Matthews and Jack Hughes have joined him.

Before Kane showed up, the Blackhawks were in a bad way. They were an awful organization both on and off the ice. The United Center was often close to empty when they were playing and the team was awful. In the past decade and a half, this team has become one of the focal points of the Chicago sports landscape.

USA Hockey also continues to grow each and every year. It is getting to the point where they are starting to produce elite players at similar rates to other countries. Ratings for NHL games continue to grow and the league is generating more money in the United States than ever before. When an American team wins the Stanley Cup (they have in every year since 1993), the parades are extremely populated. We know that fact well here in Chicago.

It is a shame that people like Kellerman are out there, but most of his opinions are duds anyway. Remember when he said that Tom Brady was going to fall off a cliff and then proceeded to watch Tom go to three straight Super Bowls and win two of them? Yeah, he’s not the brightest sports personality anyway so as a hockey fan don’t let him bother you. Instead, go out and promote the great game. The more people that start to enjoy it, the better off we will be.