Hawks to Join the 21st Century, Televise Home Games

In today's visual media age, it seems utterly insane that a major sports franchise would not want to have their team's games televised. Getting eyeballs to view the product is key to opening their minds to the wonders of advertising, product placement, and brand loyalty.

Well, as we all know, it has been the long-running joke that the Chicago Blackhawks, under the late Bill Wirtz, refused to televise their home games, expecting that more people would show and shell out $100 for a ticket if they couldn't watch it for free at home.

Well, after a string of incredibly bad seasons, trades, and drafts, Hawks fans just plain stayed away, regardless of whether the games were on TV or not. A whole generation of potential hockey fans was basically sacrificed for Wirtz's bottom line, with most existing Hawks fans seemingly of the older variety. Playing in one of the world's best markets for sports certainly doesn't guarantee success, and the Hawks may be paying for their short-sightedness for many years to come.

Now, The question we all had when Dollar Bill kicked the bucket: Will the Hawks finally join the rest of us in the 21st century and put some games on TV?

The answer: A resounding YES!

In his first major move with the Blackhawks, Rocky Wirtz is trying to do what fans long have asked for: televise the team's home games.

In a Monday memo, Wirtz told employees that Blackhawks representatives met with Comcast SportsNet executives last week about getting some home games on the air during the current season.

A source within Wirtz Corp. says up to a half-dozen home games may be broadcast this season, the majority of them coming by the end of this year. The first game most likely will be Nov. 11 against the Detroit Red Wings.

Wirtz also said the team is working on a "long-term strategy" for televising more home games in future seasons.

A half-dozen isn't much, but it is certainly a good start, especially given how this is essentially a last-second deal. The NHL badly needs Chicago to be a successful market, and giving the fans easier access to the product is an easy first step in repairing the relationship the NHL and the Blackhawks have with the sports fans of Chi-Town. With Patrick Kane and Jon Toews looking like stars-in-the-making, Hawks fans certainly have reason to come out of the woodwork and start cheering again.