American sports is based entirely around Football, Baseball, Basketball and Ice Hockey – even the Olympic Games do not generate the sentiment that these sports will in any given city.

In Chicago, the representative pro teams are:

Football:         Bears
Baseball:         Cubs and White Sox
Basketball:      Bulls
Hockey:           Blackhawks

Of these professional teams – my favorite to watch is the Chicago Blackhawks.

On November 17, 1926, in front of 9,000 fans at the Chicago Coliseum, the Chicago Blackhawks made their debut, defeating the Toronto St. Pat’s by a score of 4-1. In the more than 80 years since, the Blackhawks have become a Chicago institution, winning three Stanley Cups and creating memories for countless fans.

One season removed from a decade of disappointment, the Blackhawks are back among the NHL elite and suddenly the biggest winners in this sports-crazed city. They are riding a string of 81 consecutive sellouts, establishing record local TV ratings and tripling sales of team merchandise.

As the NHL resumes its schedule after the Olympic break, the Blackhawks are tied with the Washington Capitals for the league lead in wins (41) and are a strong contender for the franchise’s first Stanley Cup title in 49 years. That would end the NHL’s longest active stretch of futility.  Season tickets went from 3,400 in 2007-08 to more than 14,000 this season, and merchandise sales increased more than 300% over the same period. The Blackhawks are playing to 107% capacity at United Center, best in the NHL, averaging 21,104 a game.

The buzz around the Blackhawks this year is enormous and expectations are weighty.  I have been to several games at the United Center and the atmosphere is electric.  There are 20 games left in the regular season and the Hawks look primed to take their first Stanly Cup in 49 years.

GO HAWKS!

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