The Blackhawks at Wrigley in January! How quickly things change! No one in the Organization has confirmed it yet (and I've tried!) even though its all over the media. So it may not be official yet, but wouldn't an announcement Friday at Wrigley with our ‘Ambassadors’ on hand to hype the event be beautiful timing? You have to admit, John McDonough does make things happen. It sounds like the problems at old Yankee Stadium appear to have been too much to overcome with all of the other issues that come into play with an outdoor game in early winter; besides, we're due!
Outdoor games are an interesting phenomenon. There’s no question that the public enjoys ‘events’ and that this game/event will be an almost instant sell-out with fans of the Hawks, Cubs and Detroit scrambling to vie for tickets to the first modern game played outdoors in Chicago. My blown out knee makes me a little less excited about trudging about in Wrigleyville after a long drive from Kankakee (no public transportation from here) and a lengthy search for parking than most Chicago based fans. I'm hoping the Hawks set me up on the glass with a drawing board, gas heater and a t.v. crew (Wrigley, the Hawks and Tib- a natural combination of Chicago institutions!). If not, I may have to make arrangements to bum off a fan or friend for room and transport.
I’m a curious guy who wants to know about details and I have a lot of questions about the details in this one. As a kid, I only played outdoors, usually on a naturally frozen rink, but also on the artificially frozen ice in Oak Lawn. Weather will be an issue on several counts. Snow, wind and even rain used to wreak havoc with our games in January-and that’s just on the ice. We were kids and didn’t have to carry a franchise on our backs, but the Hawks and Wings will have to be very careful with the conditions they subject their stars to. Soldier Field and the Cell seem to have been rejected as sites for several reasons, but primarily, I believe, for the cache` that Wrigley holds-oh, and the obvious business connections. That said, Wrigley will also pose problems because of parking and, just maybe, plumbing! They’ll have to keep those pipes flowing at old Wrigley until after the game to accommodate the needs of a packed house plus the additional seating that will no doubt be added to the field. It will also be interesting to see how the Hawks handle this with their Season Ticket Holders, many of whom are already upset with next season’s ticket increases. This would be a good opportunity to salve those wounds!
Finally, it comes down to hockey. Will the Hawks be the hot topic on the local news next year for their play or for their events? I’m an old fashioned fan in that respect-just bring me a Cup. Playing at Wrigley doesn’t do anything directly to advance the Hawks towards that goal, but it does add to the prestige of a 'large market' club (which Chicago is becoming again) as Unrestricted Free Agents begin looking for destinations to skate and be seen in the next few years. So bring on a crisp, dry day in January. Lets play hockey-but also remember that it IS hockey. If we were to lose a key player because of less than ideal playing conditions causing an injury, I’d be very upset, so I hope marketing and hype are still secondary to the actual game. Most of all, I hope it all runs smoothly and everyone has a great time.....wait a minute, most of all I hope the Hawks beat the Wings!!!!
See? the hype almost got to ME!
Go Hawks!
tib
