PR key to turning Blackhawks around: PR Blog

Some nice coverage of the turnaround of the year in Chicago, how the Chicago Blackhawks have become the hot item in Chicago sports after more than a decade of hiding. It is a business operations oriented story and worth a look.

"When you are struggling for attention in a big market like Chicago, you have to give the media a reason to write about you..."

A Chicago Tradition: National Anthem

Brad Boron has a nice piece on the tradition of clapping and cheering throughout the presentation of the National Anthem at Chicago Blackhawks games. It's a tradition that continues too at the Chicago Wolves.

"After dropping the first two games of the series on the road, Hawks fans entered Chicago Stadium on May 9 fully energized and ready to help their team get back into the series. The crowd was so excited they cheered all the way through the National Anthem..."

IceHogs drop two over weekend

The Rockford IceHogs dropped two home games over the weekend. The Chicago Blackhawk AAA affiliate is now tied with the Chicago Wolves for first place in the Western Division.

On Friday night, the IceHogs lost 2-1 against the Manitoba Moose. Power play goals by both teams kept the score even till Guillame Desbiens scored the winning goal in the second period. Pascal Pelletier scored a power play goal. He led the offence with five shots on goal. Corey Crawford received the loss, stopping 25 shots on goal. Cory Schneider received the win for the Moose, stopping 19 shots on goal.

Saturday’s loss 3-2 loss to the Syracuse Crunch featured Antti Niemi in net for the IceHogs. He stopped 24 shots on goal. Crunch goalie Steve Mason stopped 22 shots on goal. Mike Blunden and Pelletier each had an offensive of three shots on goal, but both players were pointless in the contest.

The IceHogs continue to be a physical team. They gave up 16 advantages to opposing teams this weekend. Looking at the stats for the league, there isn’t an IceHog listed in the top 20 players for penalty minutes. But watching these guys play, they are physical, finishing their checks and refusing to back down. The spirit of the old IceHogs from the United Hockey League just seems to have somehow lived on, but with greater skill.

As that skill level moves up to the Blackhawk, we should see a team that is more physically aggressive on the ice. That should be fun.

While the American Hockey League serves as a breeding ground for blue liners, fans also want to see some offence. What strikes me, looking at the weekend, is how the offence is spread around. In other words, the talent on the bench is balanced. Stars make it through this level to play at the next level. I want to see more from players like Jack Skille. They need to step it up.

Hockey in July

Normally at this time of the year, the hockey blog is on vacation. Between the end of the professional season in mid-June and the early July camps for prospects, the next big event is usually the September training camps.

A few items may be newsworthy of course. Today, for example, the Chicago Wolves said they’d agreed to a deal with Brian Sipotz, a native of South Bend, IN.

Meanwhile the Chicago Blackhawks and the NHL dragged some boards out into Wrigley Field yesterday and talked about the outdoor game planned for New Year’s Day, 2009. As has been mentioned in several articles, how long has it been since hockey made the front of the sports pages in this town? IN JULY?

Sipotz had the leading +/- for players in the AHL regular season in 2007.

The Blackhawks President, John McDonough, the former President of the Chicago Cubs, returned to Wrigley for the first time since he joined the Hawks. The players were wandering around talking about what it would be like to play outdoors. They used the word “fun.” Tickets will probably be priced, according to a story in the Chicago Sun-Times, at $250.00 each and will be hard to get anyway.

Sipotz has played for the Wolves for several seasons. He isn’t an Atlanta prospect. His contract is owned by the Wolves.

In a 2006 game played at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, WI, 40,890 attended. The game held on New Year’s Day 2008 attracted 71,217 to Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo, NY. “At Lambeau, the ice got chopped up real fast, and if it snows, it’ll be even worse, “ Hawk winger Adam Burish told the Sun-Times. “But who cares? It’s the experience.”

At a meeting of the Chicago Wolves Booster Club yesterday, team representatives had no news about a replacement for John Anderson, the four-time championship coach who is now in Atlanta.

“We’ll play like we’re young boys,” Denis Savard told the Sun-Times. “It’s the fun of a lifetime.”

The Wolves reps told the Booster Club Tuesday the summer was the busiest time of the year for the sales staff. Until the Hawks started generating news, it was the quietest period of the year for the hockey blog.

New aggressive BHawks threaten Wolves

The Chicago Blackhawks are promoting themselves in a much more aggressive marketing campaign, according to a story in today’s Chicago Tribune. With a slogan of “One Goal,” the team has announced it engaged the leading advertising agency of Ogilvy & Mather. This follows the decision, last season, to hire Chicago Cubs President John McDonough as the president of the Blackhawks.

Following the success of the outdoor game between the Buffalo Sabres and the Pittsburgh Penguins on New Year’s Day, 2008, McDonough is understood to have pitched the idea for an Original Six game between the Blackhawks and the Detroit Red Wings to the NHL. That game was announced at the Chicago Blackhawks first fan convention, held last weekend.

Other significant moves include the decision last season, by the BHawks, to reverse the long-held policy on television broadcasting: all Hawks games will now be broadcast. And the team has a high-quality outlet in place with WGN AM 720 broadcasting the games. Pat Foley, the team’s former broadcaster, has been hired away from the Chicago Wolves and returns to the broadcast booth too this season.

It could be the biggest turnaround ever for a sports franchise. Ridiculed for years, the team was named the worst major league franchise by Sports Illustrated. The death of team owner Bill Wirtz was met by dances and laughter on Chicago sports radio. But, now, in mid-July, the team is back in the news, with front page coverage of the new on-ice captain and a Business section front page story in the Tribune.

Proof of greater interest in the Blackhawks is also evident in the note, in the Tribune story, that season tickets increased threefold, currently to between 9,000 and 10,000 from about 3,000 – 4,000 in the previous season.

The “One Goal” mentioned in the ad? Not the playoffs, which eluded the team last season, but the Stanley Cup. It is a worthy rejoinder to the Chicago Wolves campaign reminding fans of its recent Calder Cup victory. The Tribune article, which completely forgets the Wolves, may be a warning sign to the Rosemont team: a winning Blackhawks team may eclipse the Wolves as completely as a poorly managed major league team was bested for years by a smaller, feisty minor league team.

Hawks tix to be more of a bite.

According to the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Blackhawks are planning to raise prices significantly next season. According to the story, the average increase will be 16 percent, but some prices will increase 85 percent. The lowest priced tickets, $10 for a season ticket holder, will increase 50 percent, according to the story.

The highest priced ticket, a $275 day of game ticket, will increase to $285. Eric Rabbers, described as a season ticket holder in the 300 (nose bleed) level was quoted as empathizing with the move: “especially in my section, the prices we were paying were pretty cheap.”

Yeah, for that money, maybe they could actually put together a team that could make the playoffs. Duh!

Dan Kelly shown exit by BHawks; Foley to return: Tribune

Chicago Blackhawks television play-by-play man Dan Kelly has been shown the door, according to reports in the Chicago Sun-Times and the Chicago Tribune. The Sun-Times story quoted Chicago Wolves owner Don Levin as urging the Blackhawks to take Foley. The Tribune story said the deal was already done, according to sources it didn’t name.

Foley is currently the television announced for the Wolves. According to the Sun-Times, his contract expires at the end of the Wolves playoff run.

Kris Versteeg interviewed in McKeen's

McKeen’s Hockey Prospects interviewed the leading playoff scorer for the IceHogs, published here. Here’s a small sample of the great interview:

McKeen's: Down here in the AHL, are there any particular things that Chicago wants you to improve upon so that you can stick there full time?

Versteeg: When I'm down here, sometimes I try to do too much with the puck. I have "Havvy" (head coach Mike Haviland) and those guys on the bench, usually re-assuring me, but I do need to get better at moving the puck and probably using my line mates a bit more. I think it comes with trying to do too much and trying to help the team too much and do more than you actually can do.

Brouwer to appear in chat room

Chicago Blackhawks prospect Troy Brouwer, will be joining the AHL.com chat room on Thursday night for questions from fans. The former Moose Jaw Warrior is currently playing in the American Hockey League West Division finals against the Chicago Wolves.

The winger has a goal and four points in the playoffs, after eight games. In the past two seasons he’s played 12 games with the Blackhawks, gaining just a point. Brouwer was the leading scorer for the Hawks’ affiliates, scoring 35 goals this season, 25 of which were on the power play.

Questions are vetted. They can be e-mailed to info@theahl.com. For more information go to the IceHogs web site.

Hogs v Wolves

Geoffrey Clark, who says he is a Wolves fan, discusses the passion for the Chicago Wolves v. Rockford IceHogs match-up at the Bleacher Report: “It is a battle between a Chicago team and a Chicago affiliate. The IceHogs are affiliated with the Blackhawks, so an area- hockey fan that knows little to nothing about the Wolves might root for the team from Rockford. Of course, those who love to see winning hockey or those who have been long fed up with Bill Wirtz’s mismanagement of the Hawks when he was alive will most certainly root for the Wolves.”

Josh Unice update

JT, who follows the Montreal Canadiens, has been in a funk and decided to look at the up and coming prospects for the Habs in the Ontario Hockey League. He had the opportunity to watch Chicago Blackhawks goalie prospect Josh Unice. His comments on Carey Price and the development status of Unice are to the point: “Kitchener's Josh Unice was a third-round selection of the Chicago Blackhawks last year, but he still looks like it'd be a big jump for him to play AHL-calibre hockey next season.

“Carey Price was playing where these guys are playing last year. He has gone from the world of the Unices and Van Buskirks, past the world of the Pogges, Berniers and Rasks, to the realm of the Brodeurs and Luongos in one season. When you consider his stats in the NHL, behind a defence that ranged from brilliant to porous on any given night, and realize that his 2.56 GAA was nineteenth in the league, and his 0.920 SV% ranked him seventh, it starts to sink in. He's not only playing with the big boys, while his highly-touted contemporaries are still playing junior or American League Hockey, but he's competing with the big boys too."

Aliu loses 6 teeth, sends game to OT in OHL action

Chicago Blackhawks prospect Akim Aliu of the London Knights tied an Ontario Hockey League playoff game Friday with less than 27 seconds remaining. Aliu was playing through the loss of several teeth in a first period high sticking, according to a London Free Press report by Ryan Pyette, “I think it was (Drew) Doughty’s stick that came up and Akim Akiu loses six teeth,” London assistant coach Pat Curcio told the Free Press. The Guelph Storm went on to win the game in overtime.

Crawford gets shutdown by Canes

Corey Crawford experienced another shutout Wednesday, but on the wrong side as the Chicago Blackhawks went down 3-0 to the Carolina Hurricanes. Crawford is expected to be assigned, again, to the Rockford IceHogs when Nikolai Khabibulin returns to the line-up or the Blackhawks end their season. However there is no sign of when Khabibulin will return. The Hawks final game of the year will probably be April 6th against the Detroit Red Wings. The IceHogs have four games to play, not including likely playoff action, after April 6.

Crawford shutout the Anaheim Ducks in his first NHL start, and stopped 44 shots on goal in a 3-1 loss against the Detroit Red Wings. The IceHogs are 4-4 since the Blackhawks recalled Crawford February 27.

300th professional wins for Haviland

The 4-3 win, by the IceHogs over the Iowa Stars marked the 300th professional career win by Rockford Coach Mike Haviland.

Haviland received the 2007 Pieri Award (Outstanding AHL Coach) while coaching the Norfolk Admirals. Besides the two Chicago Blackhawks AHL affiliates, he coached the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies, which captured the Kelly Cup in his second season and the Trenton Titans which captured the Kelly Cup in the 2005 campaign. He has been coaching since the 2000 campaign.

Ice Girls

“Vote early, vote often,” Elliott Harris of the Quick Hits column of the Chicago Sun-Times advises saying an Internet site, www.puckthathit.com is holding a poll for the best ice girls. The Blackhawks Ice Crew, shown in a Sun-Times photo HERE, are currently in second place in the online poll, according to the column.

Here’s my vote to write in the Rockford IceHogs Ice Crew, a picture of which you can find HERE.

Aliu suspended for fight in Sudbury

The Ontario Hockey League suspended Akim Aliu, the Chicago Blackhawks prospect, this week for his attack on Sudbury Wolves blue liner Chris VanLaren late in the third period of play last Friday.

The action, which was described previously in the blog, received new attention in the London Free Press and the Sudbury Star when the league gave Aliu an indefinite suspension. Aliu, currently with the London Knights, could be lost for 20 games, according to the reports. That would significantly effect the Knights chances of winning the OHL title. Aliu is ranked second on the Knights in terms of points, with 26 goals and 32 assists in 58 games.

Akim Alou returns to Sudbury

This was great sports writing in the Sudbury Star, allowing us a peak into the personality of Akim Aliu, a Chicago Blackhawks prospect who has been troubled by allegations of temper control:

“Akim Aliu responded to two third period cross-checks (typical stick action in the corner of a close game that did get penalized) by Wolves d-man Chris VanLaren by whipping around and smoking VanLaren with one of the most eye-popping right hands I’ve every seen in a hockey game. That first, completely unexpected punch under the visor started VanLaren on his fall to the ice and Aliu followed it with a few more on the way down and jumped on VanLaren in attempt to finish the job before he was hauled off by officials.”

Justin Fletcher to IceHogs

The Chicago Blackhawks announced Justin Fletcher, a blueliner, has been assigned to the Rockford IceHogs in a minor league trade between the Hawks and the Tampa Bay Lighting in which David Koci was assigned to the Norfolk Admirals from the Rockford IceHogs.

Fletcher comes to Rockford after playing in 39 games with Norfolk this season. The Maryville, Ill. native has a goal and four assists on the season.

Koci has scored only one point in 86 games in the American Hockey League and the NHL according to the Internet hockey data base.

In addition, Kris Versteeg and Niklas Hjalmarsson were called up to the Blackhawks from the IceHogs.

CST look at Hawks

The Sunday Chicago Sun-Times has several articles worth a look for hockey fans.

First, “The Worst Teams in Chicago History.” The list is heavy on recent teams and I suspect most fans will dispute it anyway. Each professional team has one entry. The Blackhawks entry: 2003-4 with a record of 20-43-11.

Second, a half page interview by Len Ziehm with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman. He discusses the surge in Blackhawks attendance this season, “it’s good for the Blackhawks and their fans, and what’s good for one of our teams is good for the team.” Now, if Bettman had said he hoped the Blackhawks had sunk into bankruptcy, that would have been news. Something neutral like this?

Rick Telander takes on the Richard Zednik injury in his column. Telander calls for hockey players to accept mandatory neck protection gear. Just a few thoughts on this idea. First, eye injuries are much more common. If the players are balking about accepting mandatory visors, how difficult will it be to force them to accept mandatory neck safety gear? Even head gear, now required at all levels, doesn't seem to fit right. From the viewpoint of safety, better head gear is available, but it is not used.

There he goes again...

The Chicago Blackhawks have recalled goalie Corey Crawford from the Rockford IceHogs this evening. Dale Tallon made the announcement, noting that Nikolai Khabibulan had suffered back spasms during practice this morning.

The IceHogs said Crawford has appeared in 46 American Hockey League games for Rockford this season, posting 2 shutouts and a record of 24-15-5. Crawford has a 90.9 save percentage and a 2.78 GAA. He was the backup goalie for Patrick Lalime in a 6-1 Blackhawks victory over the Nashville Predators on February 14th. He did not miss any games with the IceHogs.

Michael Brodeur was recalled from the Pensacola Ice Pilots to replace Crawford. Brodeur has appeared in 20 Ice Pilots games, posting a record of 7-7-4. He has a 91.1 save percentage and a 3.16 GAA. He also played four frames for the IceHogs this season, posting a 94.4 save percentage and a GAA of 2.25.

Last season, when Brodeur was loaned to the Norfolk Admirals, then the Blackhawks AHL affiliate, he played ten games, posting a record of 4-3-0. His save percentage was 89.1 with a 3.39 GAA.