Blackhawks Once Again Have Legitimate Presence In Chicago
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Blackhawks' Alliances With Cubs, White Sox
Helping Them Gain Relevancy In Chicago |
The Blackhawks have "stopped trying to compete and have figured out how to share the ample love Chicago sports fans have for their teams," and for the "first time in more than 30 years, the city's major league hockey franchise has a legitimate presence" in Chicago, according to Melissa Isaacson of ESPNCHICAGO.com. Blackhawks Senior VP/Business Operations Jay Blunk: "It wasn't that people looked poorly on the brand -- the brand was totally irrelevant. An entire generation, maybe two, had no reference point to the Blackhawks." Blunk said instead of relying solely on their own product, the Blackhawks chose to take their brand and "attach it to things with credibility." As a result, the Blackhawks formed "alliances with both" the Cubs and White Sox. Also, the team's TV deal with WGN Radio "was key." Blunk: "Because we didn't have credibility, it reached people that normally wouldn't have sampled our product. And it told the corporate community that it was safe to come back and invest radio and TV dollars." Isaacson noted the team removed Dave Tallon as GM and lost RW Martin Havlat to the Wild in free agency this offseason, creating a "PR problem." But Blunk and Blackhawks President John McDonough are "steadfast, saying the right decisions are not always the most popular ones." Blunk said that if fans appear to be giving RW Patrick Kane, who was arrested in August for allegedly assaulting a cab driver, the "benefit of the doubt, it may well be because 'they saw the real him all these years, because he was accessible.'" Blunk: "Because of what happened here before, we're always going to have to make this franchise more accessible, and our players are going to have to always do more in the community, more speaking engagements and do more interviews than other teams in town. We have some momentum right now, but now's the time when we really have to work harder because we have bigger opportunities than we did two years ago." Isaacson noted Blackhawks players are "enjoying perks like movie premieres and an upcoming commercial starring" Kane and Bears WR Devin Hester. Kane: "People love the Blackhawks these days. You could be walking down the street and people say 'Hi' or 'Great season,' things like that" (ESPNCHICAGO.com, 10/10).
HISTORY LESSON: In Chicago, David Haugh noted in a pregame ceremony before the Blackhawks' home opener Saturday, team ambassadors and Hockey HOFers Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita, Tony Esposito and Denis Savard all appeared on the ice wearing skates, marking the first time the four "had been on the ice at the same time." The ceremony was "one of those sports marketing home runs the Hawks hit every 4.5 at-bats." Approximately 1,000 fans "lined a red carpet on Madison Street two hours before they dropped the puck." Blackhawks players "walked down the path as they were introduced," and a limousine "dropped each guy off." But Haugh wrote all the "pomp and circumstance of the Hawks' home opener left this impression: Bold choreography only goes so far." At some point, the Blackhawks "have to dance the dance," and they "need to let their talent do the talking, at least louder than the marketing department" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 10/11).
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