Chicago Blackhawks: NHL attendance champion says a lot
The Chicago Blackhawks led the NHL in attendance once again.
The Chicago Blackhawks have been growing their rabid fanbase for over a decade now. There was once a point where they couldn’t pay people to come to the games in the mid-2000s. Well, with some changes to the front office and marketing team, smart draft picks, and success on the ice, they have been able to become one of the NHL’s powerhouse franchises in terms of a fanbase. They weren’t even that good ni 2019-20 and they managed to lead the league in attendance.
They had been attendance leaders in previous years as well but sometimes the numbers were boosted by the Winter Classic being hosted by them. That wasn’t the case this season as they were not the hosts of the game this season. Their average attendance at the United Center ranked first with 21,441 people. They were ahead of the Montreal Canadiens (21,085), Dallas Stars (20,326), Toronto Maple Leafs (19,301), and Tampa Bay Lightning (18,922) to round out the top five.
The United Center is a big building that might have a little bit to do with it but selling out the place is significant. The Chicago Bears, Cubs, Bulls, and White Sox all play sports that are more popular than the Blackhawks but hockey is getting a lot of respect as a sport around these parts these days. The youth programs are booming as a result of the engagement in the sport and the Blackhawks have a lot to do with it. Hopefully, the NHL will continue to see more Illinoians play in the league as a result.
It is also impressive to see Chicago ahead of Montreal and Toronto. Those are the two biggest hockey hotbeds in the league. The media has the biggest presence in those two cities and those fans are the most passionate. Dallas is in the top five because their attendance at the Cotton Bowl for the Winter Classic is calculated in there. Even with all of that said, all of the teams in the top-five deserve credit for the marketing of their teams and success on the ice.
Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, Corey Crawford, Patrick Sharp, and Niklas Hjalmarsson deserve a lot of credit for the Hawks being as good in the attendance department as they are. The marketing team and front office did a great job putting those guys together but the players need to perform in order to have that type of success. Those guys will have an impact on this team for a very long time even after all of them are gone.
Hot. Jeremy Roenick should be in the Hall of Fame. light
You need faces of the franchise and you need success on the ice. Those guys all helped provide those things for this team. Sharp and Hjalmarsson are both gone now and the rest of them are aging but there is a long-lasting impact and the attendance shows it. People in Chicago love their Blackhawks.