Ominous NHL omen: attendance woes in Hockeytown USA
It's one thing for the Blackhawks to struggle at the gate. For the last decade there haven't been too many reasons for Hawks fans to go to the United Center to watch bad teams play dull hockey.
But attendance problems in Detroit? Hockeytown USA? Now that is news.
The Red Wings announced a crowd of 17,696 for Friday's game against the Hawks at Joe Louis Arena, a 3-2 loss.
Prior to that, the Red Wings had three non-sellouts, including opening night against Stanley Cup champion Anaheim, with two crowds announced at fewer than 17,000 in a building that seats more than 20,000 for hockey.
A story this week in the Detroit News had Red Wings fans offering three valid reasons for a drop in attendance: The price of tickets is too high in a town where automobile industry-driven economy is in bad shape, the lack of physical play, and a schedule that feature too many games against the same teams.
While it's hard to imagine people in Detroit not flocking to the rink to watch highly skilled stars such as Henrik Zetterberg, Pavel Datsyuk and Nicklas Lidstrom play, Red Wings fans, like Hawks fans, enjoy their fights, and in Commissioner Gary Bettman's NHL, fighting has no place.
When was the last time you went to the United Center and saw two teams play that really hated each other?
Unfortunately, the days of the hated rivalries such as the Hawks and North Stars enjoyed decades ago are gone.
The NHL is a dying league, whether that's something the league wants to hear or not. The league's national television contract is on a network called Versus, and in a place such as Chicago, the Hawks can only been seen on TV half the time.
"That TV has killed us, as far as a lot of the players are concerned," Red Wings defenseman Chris Chelios told reporters this week. "If you're not on TV, it's hard for the fans and the kids to familiarize with the players and the team, and I think that has a lot to do with it also."
Are you taking notes, Rocky Wirtz?
Scouting report
Blackhawks vs. Dallas Stars at the United Center, 7:30 p.m.
TV: None
Radio: WSCR 670-AM
The skinny: Both the Hawks and Stars played Friday night. The Stars were home against Calgary, while the Hawks were on the road in Detroit. The Hawks are 1-1 at the United Center, where they play the next three games. The teams split last year's season series 2-2, with the Hawks winning both games in Chicago. Nikolai Khabibulin was 2-1 against Dallas last season with a 1.68 goals-against average, but he gets tonight off after starting in Detroit.
Player to watch: Patrick Lalime. The Hawks' backup goalie makes his first start of the season.
Next game: St. Louis Blues at the United Center, Wednesday
-- Tim Sassone