Suburban kids go wild over Blackhawks

Ben Fish wears Chicago Blackhawks shirts at least three days a week, and his lucky shirt on game days. The 12-year-old from Naperville also enters team-sponsored contests, can rattle off team statistics and has the blaring sound made after a goal on his cellphone.

Fan Adam Schoenrade, 13, of West Chicago, hosts game-watching parties at his house, where they wear Hawks gear and follow all mentions of the game on social media.

"My entire room is Blackhawks. I have a giant Duncan Keith Fathead (life-size sticker) above my bed, and my bed sheets are Blackhawks. I got one of the ($170) Winter Classic jerseys for my birthday," Schoenrade said, citing just a few examples of his fandom. "It's such an easy team to love. I'm always going to be a Blackhawks fan."

Like their parents, suburban kids are wild about the Blackhawks, who are now battling for their third Stanley Cup in six years. They'll play Game 5 against the Tampa Bay Lightning at 7 p.m. Saturday.

Young fans' passion for the Blackhawks is fueled in part by how strong the team has been in recent years. Many, like 7-year-old fan A.J. Post of Hanover Park, haven't been alive long enough to see a bad Blackhawks team.

But their fervor also might be in response to the team's efforts to market itself as a family-friendly sport and team - ticket or merchandise prices notwithstanding.

The Blackhawks organization has done a lot to win favor with kids and parents, like inviting local hockey teams to skate on the ice during intermissions, arranging for players to meet sick and special needs children, creating a JustBeFriends app aimed at young children and sponsoring social media-based contests like #WhatsYourGoal, where kids submit their personal goals.

Clearly, it's worked.

"Every family I know is wildly into this team. I'm looking around the California Pizza Kitchen in downtown Arlington Heights right now, and half the people in the place have Hawks shirts on," said Brad Gavin of Mount Prospect, a lifelong Blackhawks fan currently sporting a playoff beard who watches the games with his wife, Linda, and kids John, 10, CJ, 8, and Meghan, 6.

The Blackhawks are popular among the suburban high school crowd too. Superfan Kelly Helmer, 15, of Prospect Heights, said a lot of kids at Hersey High School get together for watching parties or create fan accounts on Instagram. They also follow parody accounts on social media, like the funny @CoachQsMustache on Twitter.

"All of the kids are walking around with Blackhawks jerseys and watching the games," added Angelo Goduto, 15, of South Elgin. "It's crazy."

While these young fans may not be old enough to drive to the United Center, they definitely drive merchandise sales and social media traffic. The Blackhawks wouldn't release information about merchandise sales, but team items are sold everywhere from Jewel to Dick's Sporting Goods.

A team spokesman confirmed the Blackhawks have more Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest followers than any other team in the NHL.

Suburban parents say social media is just one example of how different their kids' fan experience is from their own.

"When I was a kid, the games weren't even on TV," Brad Gavin said.

Today, the games are on TV along with numerous highlights and analysis shows. Kids have unlimited, 24/7 access to Blackhawks videos and statistics, and can ask Siri (the iPhone's personal assistant) things like what time the game starts.

The Blackhawks are even incorporated into school activities. Michael Dolan, 9, of Algonquin, used his Thanksgiving art assignment to make a Jonathan Toews turkey.

Family-friendly public viewing parties are sprouting up around the suburbs too, including recent parties at Players U in Mount Prospect and one in downtown Lombard.

Suburban parents say a lot of good has come out of their children's Blackhawks fandom, perhaps the best thing being the family bonding.

At the Post house in Hanover Park, the family watches every game together and does a special high-five when the Hawks score. Sometimes they'll put a Hawks shirt on their dog, a Boxer named "Kaner," after Blackhawks star Patrick Kane.

Donna Dolan, of Algonquin, said her 87-year-old mom has started watching the games so she can have conversations with her grandson about the game. And fan Gus Tosterud, 11, of Schiller Park, watches the games with his dad and grandpa. If they're feeling superstitious, they'll listen together on a radio in the garage.

"My dad and grandpa, we'll yell 'Shoot the puck! Stop passing it!'," Tosterud said. "I love this team."

Mom Colleen Getz, of Prospect Heights, likes the camaraderie and integrity aspects.

"Every team has its dirty players, but you don't see a lot of one-man bands, where the whole team is carried by one person," she said. "You hear a lot of 'we.' That's a positive message for kids to be hearing."

Mom Michaele Post, of Hanover Park, agrees.

"It shows if you work hard," she said, "you're able to achieve greatness."