In 2004, ESPN named the Chicago Blackhawks the worst franchise in professional sports due to their cheap owner, mismanagement of players and an overall dismal fan experience.
What a difference a decade makes. This week, the Blackhawks are headed to their third Stanley Cup Final in six years. The Indian head jersey is as in style as it's ever been and the team has had the highest attendance in the league over the past four years despite skyrocketing ticket prices. When fans go to the Madhouse on Madison, they participate in full force- it's one of the loudest arenas in the game today.
What hockey fans are finding out, however, is that the Madhouse on Madison is a traveling show. When most visitors score on the road, the home crowd goes silent. When the Blackhawks score on the road, you sometimes may question who the home team actually is. Many of the team's fans are willing to spend their hard earned money to travel and support their team, often inflating ticket and concession sales for visiting teams.
So why then, are teams still trying to force out Blackhawks fans?
Back in 2013, the St. Louis Blues and the Nashville Predators were up and coming teams. After division realignment sent the Detroit Red Wings out east, the Blues and Predators felt that the only obstacle standing in their way of division superiority was the then-defending champion Blackhawks. As a result, the Predators required everyone buying tickets vs the Hawks to purchase an additional single season Preds ticket. Blues management made it even tougher for Blackhawks fans by selling all Blues/Hawks games as part of larger ticket packages, not as single game outings. Mind you, this policy didn't apply to the other teams in the division- just the Blackhawks. Maybe it should have, as the Colorado Avalanche ended up winning the Central division that year.
The Blackhawks responded by finishing third in the West and knocking out the St. Louis Blues in the first round of the playoffs. Nashville finished 19 points behind Chicago in the regular season and didn't even qualify for the playoffs; these tactics have proven to be as futile as Wile E. Coyote's schemes.
Yet here we are, two years later, and the Predators prohibited playoff ticket sales for anyone living outside of their TV market The Blackhawks then took care of them in six games. The Tampa Bay Lightning have decided to pull a similar trick for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, prohibiting ticket sales for any card registered outside of Florida.
Look- I understand a team wanting to create a great home playoff atmosphere, but the FANS have to want it. That's why the Blackhawks can charge fans $70 for standing room only tickets during the regular season- the fans created demand. New York, Boston, Montreal and Philadelphia haven't prohibit ticket sales in their recent playoff appearances because of two reasons- they knew the fans would sell out the stadium, and they knew their fans would cheer like crazy. Nashville and Tampa are not hockey towns, and blocking out the visitors implies that they don't trust their fans to either sell out the stadium or cheer like they should- or both. It screams of insecurity.
What should they do? Market their teams better, ingratiate themselves with the surrounding community, start winning, and be patient. Most sports franchises have been around longer than the Lightning and Preds combined, so it's going to take time to build a passionate, loyal fan base. For now, let the crazies from Chicago in- those ten dollar beers and eight dollar pretzels add up quickly.
