January 13, 2006

Attention!: Chicago Blackhawks game to be televised locally. This is not a drill. [via]

posted by garfield to hockey at 11:59 AM - 15 comments

Wow. It's because the game sold out in advance, right? How often does that happen? I was under the impression it didn't happen at all some years.

posted by chicobangs at 12:59 PM on January 13, 2006

Sorry about the link. I triple checked it. Maybe the hockeyblog link will work. Well, that's normally how games get televised, but I'm not sure in this case. Maybe if games were televised, players would want to stay in Chi-town, because the way they are playing right now seems like they want to get traded.

posted by garfield at 01:09 PM on January 13, 2006

No home hawks games ever get televised regardless of whether or not they are sold out. The only other televised home game in recent memory was when Savard got his number retired. I think Wirtz is getting desperate and attenpting to boost attendance by marketing the OTHER team. God knows he can't get behind his own team. I know a few hockey fans may disagree with me, but Wirtz has to be the worst owner in all of professional sports, let alone hockey. He has single handedly destroyed the fan base here in Chicago and has turned a team rich in history, tradition and pride into a laughing stock of the league. I enjoy the AHL games in a small suburb of Chicago more than going to a Hawks game. With all that said, I'm still gonna watch the friggin' game because of the sado-masochistic portion of my soul compels me. It's a rare treat.

posted by willthrill72 at 02:53 PM on January 13, 2006

Living outside of the Chicago ADA I get to watch more than my share of Bhawks games with my comcast package. Unfornuately, I get to watch more than my fair share against skydivemoms Red Wings team. I saw these guys give up 2 goals in under a minute this season. Wings tie the game and win in overtime. skydivemom is not, repeat not a gracious winner when it comes to the Wings trashing my beloved Bhawks. I have know idea how to turn this franchise around and neither does Mr. Wirtz and the parade of clowns he's hired over the years. I just keep watching anyway :(

posted by skydivedad at 03:00 PM on January 13, 2006

Oh Yea. I get the Bhawks/Pengs tonite followed by the better game Caps/Ducks.

posted by skydivedad at 03:05 PM on January 13, 2006

will, thanks for clarifying that. I still don't understand the policy, but it never did make much sense.

posted by garfield at 03:24 PM on January 13, 2006

garfield, Wirtz is a neanderthal. His feeling is if he televises the games, no one will come to the stadium and guzzle all his beer (he made his millions on liqour distribution before mangling the Hawks). Obviously his policy works. You have to get drunk to watch the Hawks play. I'm curious, do other professional sports teams across this country or Canada black out home games for any reason other than not selling out?

posted by willthrill72 at 03:54 PM on January 13, 2006

The Flyers have messed up blackout restrictions. They blackout everything no matter what. I used to live in Maryland but since it was so close to Philly I was in the blacked-out area. I think it was to get people to subscribe to a certain cable channel that wasn't even available in my area.

posted by njsk8r20 at 04:08 PM on January 13, 2006

I'm curious, do other professional sports teams across this country or Canada black out home games for any reason other than not selling out? I can't think of a single Canadian hockey game that has ever been "blacked out". Once the game appears in the station listings (CBC, TSN or SportsNet) early in September, they have always broadcasted them. However, due to regional situations, Ottawa games on SportsNet do NOT appear in any region of Ontario that is west of Kingston. In return, Leaf games on SportsNet are not broadcast in the Ottawa territory. And if it's Ottawa vs Toronto? CBC has already mandated those games must be on Saturday night. :)

posted by grum@work at 04:18 PM on January 13, 2006

Ottawa games on SportsNet do NOT appear in any region of Ontario that is west of Kingston. This is because SportsNet is actually four networks: SportsNets Pacific, West, Ontario, and East. "Ontario" is Leafs. "East" is Senators. I loathe this setup. It also means that if I watch their sports news at 1:00am, I get the 10:00pm SportsNet Pacific broadcast in which I have to sit through a ten-minute feature on Trevor Linden's toenail clippings before they get to the twenty-second Sens recap. Thank goodness for The Score.

posted by DrJohnEvans at 04:25 PM on January 13, 2006

What's this about Trevor Linden's toes?

posted by chicobangs at 05:26 PM on January 13, 2006

I caught the game the other day(Flyers),free ticket and i have to say....they have some major problems to address. It was my 1st game in almost 3 years and i'm very disappointed.Not just because i live here but there's no aggression,completly flat they are.The new salary cap i thought would give the Hawks a chance to pick from the even crop of talent.The scouts,management must have had thier heads in the toilet.Gosh,will hockey ever try to win me back as a fan as much as i love the game.I think i have to ride a new bandwagon to get some sort of decent satisfaction.

posted by irishmic2004@sbcglobal.net at 07:15 PM on January 13, 2006

2 zip Hawks midway through the 1st. Maybe they can hold a lead against the Pens.

posted by skydivedad at 08:01 PM on January 13, 2006

4-1 Bhawks Final

posted by skydivedad at 10:17 PM on January 13, 2006

chico, the SportsNet Pacific broadcast is very Canucks-centric. Not without reason, mind you, but I'm less than reasonable when it's 1:25am and I just want to see my team's highlights.

posted by DrJohnEvans at 12:29 PM on January 14, 2006

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