The Chicago Blackhawks: For Free

Six or seven years ago, the Oakland Athletics used to have 50 cent hotdog day and $2 ticket day. They were usually on day games in the middle of the week when they knew they would only be selling about 5,000 tickets.

As the A’s started winning, those freebies and cheap ticket deals went away. Although, as recently as three years ago you could still get a ticket in the upper deck for only $8.

This week, the Chicago Blackhawks, one of the oldest sports franchises in the country and one of the original NHL teams, took the freebies one step further. They began to clandestinely offer free tickets on ticketmaster.

Cold Steel On Ice- it’s not.

Free tickets are not new to the Blackhawks this season. Several months ago they were offering tickets only 15 rows from the glass to season ticket holders for free. But this is a whole other level. This is, supposedly, thousands of free tickets available for the $6 ticketmaster fee.

Shhhh!

No one is supposed to know. They have NOT advertised it. Yet, not surprisingly, some upscale downtown workers started to hear about the “deal” and let their friends in office buildings know who then e-mailed their friends and their friends e-mailed those in Lakeview bars and, well, you get the story.

You have to hand it to the Blackhawk marketing department. They wanted to make it seem like the free tickets were a “deal” or a “mistake”, without it being “known” that they were. It’s like the $11 airline tickets that occasionally show up on airline websites. But this was for real. They had to keep it quiet though. Because, after all, it’s not like they want any Tom, Dick or Harry getting the tickets.

Noooo…

They want beer drinking, hot dog eating 20 and 30-somethings.

Because, frankly, the empty seats are doing nothing for the team’s revenues. At least if you have some people in the seats they are buying something at the stadium. Something is better than nothing.

But you don’t want to appear desperate. After all, there are several thousand paying ticket holders and you don’t want to upset them.

Still, this is not a good sign for a franchise that used to pack them in 15 years ago. I remember going to games that were standing room only. Remember the Blue Line magazine? You could buy it out in front of the stadium before games for $1. It was written by Blackhawk fans and was not “authorized” by team management- making it all the more juicy. Blackhawk management seethed at the notion that someone else was making money off the team (when it was, frankly, a sign of love by diehard fans.)

The team and the Blue Line engaged in litigation against each other in 1995 with allegations that the Blackhawks had the publisher of the Blue Line thrown into jail for selling the magazine outside of the old Chicago Stadium. Of course, us young fans bought the Blue Line. Religiously.

It’s been a long time since the Blue Line was published.

Sad.

Because who cares now? Where are the standing room only crowds? Where are the hotdog throwing crazies? Where is the organist playing the Rocky Theme song whenever there is, um, action on the ice?

IS there action on the ice?

The Blackhawks have lost their last six games and are mired in the cellar of the league.

The demise of a great franchise.

Go to ticketmaster. Get your free tickets for Friday’s game versus Columbus. Drink beer.

It’s the least you can do.