Now that's Blackhawks hockey

"There's that energy now and that connection that I think our fans and our players are making, and it's just like the old days. It's kind of nice."

Blackhawks coach Denis Savard

Of all the positive things going on with the Blackhawks these days, perhaps the most significant is the relationship forming between the players and fans.

Hawks fans are returning from the cold, and they are being drawn back by a group of players that are energizing, entertaining and full of personality.

A franchise comeback that started with the emergence of rookies Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane and gained momentum when Rocky Wirtz took over as chairman has everyone in the dressing room and throughout the organization doing their parts to bring the NHL to the forefront in what was once considered a great hockey town.

There are things going on at the United Center that haven't been seen in more than a decade, such as sellouts for teams other than the Red Wings and chants of approval for a goaltender.

Something that never had been seen before is players gathering at center ice after the last two home games and raising their sticks to salute the more than 20,000 fans in attendance.

In Wednesday's win over Nashville, as the Hawks struggled to hold a lead, fans chanted "Let's go Hawks" as loudly as they used to do in Chicago Stadium. And when referee Dan O'Halloran called a charging penalty on Dustin Byfuglien late in the first period, he was booed in the same kind of angry way as Andy vanHellemond would hear it across the street.

"When you look at what's gone on here in the last little while, we talked about that early in training camp that they have an opportunity to bring hockey back as a group," Hawks coach Denis Savard said.

"It was going to take a lot of work and be tough, but you can see they are starting to build a relationship with our fans. People are coming to the games and they're helping us. It was nice to see them yelling for Habby (goalie Nikolai Khabibulin) the other night. And even in a tough situation in that game where we felt we were losing momentum, they knew it and were trying to get behind us.

"There's that energy now, and that connection that I think our fans and our players are making, and it's just like the old days," Savard said. "It's kind of nice."

Fans are taking to players such as Toews, Kane, Byfuglien, Patrick Sharp, Martin Havlat, Tuomo Ruutu and others just as they did Jeremy Roenick, Chris Chelios and Ed Belfour in the early 1990s and Savard, Al Secord, Steve Larmer and Doug Wilson in the '80s.

No doubt so much turnover in personnel the last decade prevented fans from getting too attached to players, with the possible exception of Tony Amonte and Eric Daze.

"You're 100 percent right," Savard said. "You've got to have consistency everywhere, from upstairs to the players."

Recent player appearances have turned into rock star-like events. There were 3,000 people for an autograph appearance by Kane and Toews earlier this month in downtown Chicago. Last week about 800 fans showed up for an appearance by Sharp on a Thursday night at an auto parts store in Glen Ellyn.

Sharp certainly appreciate what is happening, having been here last season and most of the previous one when the United Center was half-empty for games.

"My signing was overwhelming and very humbling," Sharp said. "But it's not just with me. The organization is making great strides, everyone from Mr. Tallon (general manager Dale Tallon) to Denis Savard to the media relations people and the marketing department, we're doing our best to try to bring hockey back here in Chicago."

The day after Sharp's appearance, the Edge Ice Arena in Bensenville was nearly full with fans for a Hawks practice.

"I know it's the holidays, but that didn't happen last year or the year before," Sharp said.

When the United Center is packed, it feels like a different building. Even Predators coach Barry Trotz made mention of the atmosphere last week, saying the UC has become a much more difficult place to play.

And that's what Hawks players want.

"We are fast, skilled, we hit, play tough. Where teams used to look forward coming to Chicago to play, now we want teams to dread coming into Chicago with all the excitement and energy the crowd provides," Hawks defenseman James Wisniewski said.

While the big crowds may or may not be here to stay, the Hawks want their fans to know they are making a difference.

"It's unbelievable the spark you get before a game, or when you kill off a big penalty or score a goal," Wisniewski said. "It's how hockey should be in Chicago, right?"