Eight years after Blackhawks Chair Rocky Wirtz "inherited the team, the Blackhawks are a juggernaut, three victories from their third Stanley Cup championship in six seasons," as well as the "most popular hockey team" in the U.S., according to Ben Strauss of the N.Y. TIMES. That claim is supported "by a number of metrics -- ratings, jersey sales, social media." The Blackhawks "have appeared nationally" on TV a "league-high 127 times in the past four seasons." They have a "sellout streak of 326 games; they dominate All-Star voting; and they have three of the top 10 most marketable players in the NHL, according to Nielsen’s N rating." Nielsen Sports Group Senior VP & Head of Global Sports Practice Stephen Master said, "The numbers are the numbers, even outside Chicago. The Blackhawks are America’s NHL team." Strauss noted the team's business staff under Wirtz "has tripled, to 75," while VP & GM Stan Bowman "sits in on marketing meetings to keep the business and hockey staffs in lock step." The Blackhawks "had a paltry 3,400 season-ticket holders when Wirtz took over; now there is a waiting list of more than 13,000." The team’s two flagship apparel stores sold $5M in merchandise "from last July to this past April." Beyond the broad strokes, though, has "been an organization meticulous in capitalizing on the good fortune of finding a core of once-in-a-generation talent." Blackhawks Exec VP Jay Blunk said, "Winning is the No. 1 thing. But that affords you a gateway into something deeper. And that’s what we’ve tried to do." Blackhawks President & CEO John McDonough said that the team's run of success has "coincided with the rise of social media." Strauss noted the Blackhawks "are leaders, with more Twitter and Facebook followers than any other NHL team." They have "run exhaustive analytics on their fans, including enlisting a group of them to survey attendees at every home game" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/7).
ELECTRIC FEEL: In N.Y., Ken Belson cites data from Forbes as showing that the Lightning -- "thanks to an improving economy, the NHL's new television deals and the team's progress on the ice" -- are now worth "about twice as much" as the $110M team Owner Jeff Vinik paid for the club in '10. Given the club’s "disarray before he arrived, Vinik, 56, might be excused for taking a victory lap." But he is "just getting started." Vinik in December "unveiled plans to develop 40 acres of mostly barren land that he owns or leases around Amalie Arena, the Lightning’s downtown home." With the Buccaneers "struggling in the NFL and baseball’s Rays battling with public officials to get a new stadium, the Lightning have become the sports darlings of the region." This has turned Vinik, a "soft-spoken, bookish man who had limited interaction with the news media when he worked in finance, into a kind of local rock star." He "routinely appears on television, meets fans on game nights and receives standing ovations at employee meetings." He also "speaks to local civic groups, meets with politicians and flies around the country trying to persuade chief executives to move their operations to his adopted city" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/8).
