In sports, audiences tend to be more attentive to teams with a championship pedigree. For instance, people enjoy watching the Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers because of their demanding rank amongst the NBA. In the NFL, you have the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks who always contend and bring crowds. For the NHL however, they love to gravitate to the Chicago Blackhawks.
The 2015-16 season saw the Blackhawks finish third in the central division while holding a 47-26-9 record and fell short to the St. Louis Blues in game 7 of the quarter finals. While still enjoyable to watch, they hit a few bumps in the road that made fans turn their heads to hotter teams.
The NHL had plenty of teams that were superior over the Hawks. For instance, the Central Division champion Dallas Stars had a phenomenal year based on past performances and playoff mishaps. The Anaheim Ducks and Florida Panthers also won their respective divisions and weren’t even recognized for their current fortune.
All three of the listed division champions above will appear on national television a total of seven times. As absurd as that sounds, the Hawks will appear on national TV a grand total of 21 times, including the ever so adored Winter Classic on Jan. 2 2017 vs the rivaled St. Louis Blues. This will be the team’s fifth outdoor game, the most any team has played.
How will you be ringing in 2017?
Join us! We're taking it outside on January 2. #WinterClassic pic.twitter.com/SBOPVuFCW3
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) August 9, 2016
Chicago Blackhawks Steal National Limelight
Either superb merriment or absolute disgust rolled through the minds of NHL fans when they heard the news. Many often wonder why the Hawks get special treatment on television and usually appear in outdoor games, but the reason why is simple:
Money
The Blackhawks are an incredible breeding ground for revenue. Having gone from one of the worst franchises in sports to a championship overhaul after winning three Stanley Cups in six seasons, it’s clear that they’ve become the goldmine within the NHL.
They’ve soldout for more than 300-plus consecutive games and have brought and extreme amount of revenue and attention to the sport of hockey in a dying market. It’s genius of the NHL to give the Hawks the spotlight since it nearly guarantees views and will get ticket sales.
Given that the Hawks have one of the largest fan bases in the NHL, keeping them in outdoor games will reasonably keep accumulating ticket sales. Understanding that a lot of fan bases despise the Hawks, watching them lose will also produce viewers. Either way, it’s a win-win.
Despite only winning one game out of the four outdoor games played, fans will be drawn torwards Hart Memorial and Art Ross Trophy winner Patrick Kane, as well as Calder Memorial Trophy winner Artemi Panarin to avenge the Hawks disappointing defeat in the first round. Keeping intensity in the mix will bring about fans ready to open their wallets.
What will it take for fair treatment among the NHL involving national broadcasted games? Although it may be unfair, it’s pretty neat to see a franchise that rarely saw the light of day getting fame in today’s media. The question is, when will the superiority they own end?
Main Photo:
