Forbes: Hawks value increases to $205 million
That didn't take long.
In just one year's time, under the guidance of chairman Rocky Wirtz and president John McDonough, the value of the Blackhawks franchise has increased by 14 percent, according to Forbes.com.
Last year, Forbes ranked the Hawks 16th among NHL teams with a value of $179 million. This year they've jumped to 14th at $205 million.
Forbes credited the jump in value of the organization to some of the initiatives brought on by McDonough, including welcoming back former Blackhawks legends Bobby Hull, Tony Esposito and Stan Mikita, holding the first-ever Blackhawks Convention, and televising all 82 regular-season games.
The Toronto Maple Leafs, for the third consecutive year, topped the list with a value of $448 million while Phoenix was at the bottom ($142 million).
According to Forbes, a dozen teams showed a negative operating income, including Philadelphia (-$1.8 million) and Boston (-$3 million), each a top-10 franchise in total value.
One for the road? Though they have been solid at the United Center thus far, the Hawks are last in the league with a 0-3-1 road record.
What's the deal?
"I think it's a case of we're a young team and we need to find ways to win on the road," said defenseman Brian Campbell. "You've got to limit your mistakes and I don't think we've done that yet this year - except maybe in St. Louis - and they came back and scored a couple late.
"We've got to be better as a team and individually we need to be better as well."
Breathing room: Though he has no doubt that defenseman Duncan Keith, and Brent Seabrook could continue to play Herculean minutes on a nightly basis, Hawks coach Joel Quenneville would like to see his other blueliners step up and earn some more playing time.
"We'd like to get a little more balance of ice time among the six derfensemen," Quenneville said.
Perhaps helping the cause is the return of former first-round pick Cam Barker following a short stint in Rockford.
"He gives us a lot of options defensively," Quenneville said. "He handles the puck well and he supports the attack."