Closing Shot: Skating North

The 15,000 tickets available sold out within minutes.Ty Helbach / Fiserv Forum

Wisconsin doesn’t have an NHL team to call its own, but enthusiasm for hockey isn’t lacking in the Badger State.

When tickets went on sale for the Oct. 2 preseason game in Milwaukee between the Chicago Blackhawks and Minnesota Wild — the first NHL hockey game in the city in nearly 30 years and the first league game at Fiserv Forum — the more than 15,000 available seats sold out within minutes. More than 80% of tickets for the game went to buyers located in Wisconsin, as opposed to the participating clubs’ home states of Illinois and Minnesota.

“To have a sold-out preseason hockey game, essentially going head-to-head with a Packers game, it was a true testament to the market,” said Fiserv Forum general manager Dennis Williams.

Hockey fans clad in a mix of Blackhawks, Wild and other teams’ jerseys flooded into the adjacent Deer District three hours prior to puck drop. In addition to watching the start of the Packers game on the big screen, fans enjoyed a plethora of Blackhawks-backed activations, ranging from puck-shooting and selfie stations to live on-stage entertainment. Once the arena opened, fans flooded the pro shop to snap up Blackhawks merchandise, including Home Away From Home Series-branded shirts.

Once the game began, the Blackhawks sought to replicate the experience of attending a game at the United Center for the fans in Milwaukee. The touches of home included famed national anthem singer Jim Cornelison making the trip north and the team’s in-arena hosts handling the entertainment.

The Deer District outside Fiserv Forum featured a variety of activities, including puck shooting. Ty Helbach / Fiserv Forum

While the Blackhawks fell 3-0 to the Wild, Williams said the event “was pretty special for the fans that might not be able to travel down to Chicago.”

Hockey and other on-ice events have always been part of the plan for Fiserv Forum, home of the Milwaukee Bucks. While the game was the first professional hockey game at Fiserv Forum, which opened in 2018, the arena has hosted a four-team college hockey tournament called the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off, as well as Disney on Ice-style entertainment events.

“Everything with regards to physical structures — the dasherboards, the glass, the benches, the ice itself — is all equipment that we have internally,” Williams said. “We purchased a lot of it when we were opening the building with hopes of being able to attract events like this.”

While Williams wouldn’t provide specifics about the deal with the Blackhawks, he said it typically costs $100,000 to rent the arena for an event. It’s a nominal expense for an NHL team to expand its reach within the region, and one Williams believes other teams might pay. He said several other teams have reached out about possible engagements in the future, including the Wild and Detroit Red Wings.

“Wisconsin has shown and continues to show that hockey is very popular within this region,” Williams said.