Chicago opens its arms again to resurgent Blackhawks

The City of Broad Shoulders once again has embraced the swift-moving, sharp-shooting, brutally hard-hitting, occasionally bloody game.

But enough about Chicago politics.

Truth be told, it is hockey that is enjoying a breath of fresh air in the Windy City.

It seems like only yesterday that the Blackhawks intentionally blacked out their home games on TV, blocked out their icons from being part of the family and turned off their fans.

Now, guess who’s No. 1 in attendance in the National Hockey League with an average of 22,686? A hint: They don’t refer to Chicago as the Second City on that list.

The Blackhawks were the hottest ticket on ice even before 40,818 turned out for the Winter Classic at Wrigley Field on Thursday. The real classic hockey story of 2008-09 is the heartland renaissance of the team that was all but written off (average attendance this time last year: 13,612).

Now the Blackhawks have the youngest roster in the NHL and are second to the mighty Stanley Cup champion Red Wings in the Central Division, having won nine in a row before reality struck in home-and-home losses against Detroit this past week. No big deal. They’re still fine.

“Growing up a Blackhawks fan, deep down, I like to see Chicago hockey back on the map,” said Brett Lebda of Buffalo Grove, Ill., who scored a goal for the Wings at Wrigley on Thursday.

“What makes this so remarkable is the speed with which it happened,” said marketing expert Marc Ganis, president of Chicago-based SportsCorp Ltd. He spoke on the phone Friday, having spent Thursday watching the Classic from the upper deck.

A perfect storm put everything in place for a revival, starting with the fact that Chicago always has loved hockey.

Old Chicago Stadium was a gem, with its intense noise, magnificent pipe organ and steep stairs leading from the locker room to the rink.

Wayne Gretzky played his first NHL game there, Bobby Orr his last. Who realized, before the NHL Network’s pregame show Thursday, that Gale Sayers has owned season tickets for years?

“You have to remember that before Michael came to the Bulls, the Blackhawks were much more popular,” Ganis said, not having to use Mr. Jordan’s surname.

The Bulls’ reign chipped away at the Blackhawks’ stature, as did the move to the lavish yet more antiseptic United Center. Most damaging of all was the reign of late owner William Wirtz, who made Steve Bartman seem like Chicago’s favorite son in comparison. Wirtz refused to pay the going rate on salaries and kept home games off TV.

Ganis said Wirtz actually was right about the salaries – other owners nearly spent themselves out of business – and that his policy on telecasts was a try at protecting ticket-buyers.

After the elder Wirtz died last year, his son Rocky took over. He and innovative new team president John McDonough, formerly with the Cubs, ended the TV ban, brought back estranged legends Bobby Hull, Stan Mikita and Tony Esposito and built around the roster’s exuberant nucleus.

Twenty-year-olds Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane are two of the best young stars in the league. Management has also decided to invest in the product, signing all-star defenseman Brian Campbell and bringing in veteran coach Joel Quenneville.