Dear Wirtz Family (owners of the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks),
Hi. Me again.
I know you've hated my unsolicited advice in the past...actually, you probably don't even know that this blog exists...oh well, I like to vent. So you're going to get my unsolicited advice again.
I saw this headline in the Chicago Tribune
It says that you were offering free tickets (good seats too, right near the ice) to the Blue Jackets game this past Friday. It says that you were notifying fans who had bought tickets to 'Hawks games in the past.
The result was people giving away the Ticketmaster code to buy the tickets on Craig's List. The result was also season ticket holders sitting next to people who hadn't paid a thing for the tickets, though fortunately, there weren't many of them.
Okay then. Since you obviously don't get it yet:
1) When ticket sales are particularly bad, such as this year, when attendance at 'Hawks games was 2nd worst in the entire NHL, you definitely should NOT piss off the season ticket holders, who pay good money for their tickets, by making their tickets the equivalent of worthless...EVEN IF IT'S JUST FOR A DAY!!!
2) When giving away really good tickets, try contacting the good people who, when they do come to games, sit in the 300 level. I went to two 'Hawks games this year. I wasn't even aware of the promotion. I'm a loyal fan, you fucking pricks. I probably would have even gone. Oh well.
3) When giving away free tickets, try lowering the cost of parking around the arena. Currently, it ranges from $12-$15 per car. Given the cost of gas these days, those parking costs don't really make the trip worth it. Oh, and another thing:
4) If you want fans to come to the games, try building a winning team first.
You can start by firing that idiot coach and General Manager.
But I've already told you that.
Anyway, this is a new low for a proud franchise. I think only the Detroit Lions are worse...and that's a stretch.
Showing posts with label Hockey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hockey. Show all posts
Thursday, April 05, 2007
Sunday, March 25, 2007
A Final Grade
Dear Wirtz Family who owns the Chicago Blackhawks, (and all Blackhawks fans who are reading, for that matter),
Today, the Blackhawks blew a 2-1 lead to lose 3-2 to the Calgary Flames.
This brings the Blackhawks to 63 points, 6 behind the Columbus Blue Jackets for last place in the Western Conference Central Division, and last overall in the Western Conference.
If you care at all about the Chicago Blackhawks, please immediately fire Denis Savard, the Head Coach, and Dale Tallon, the General Manager. They have proven completely unable to put together a winner.
In the meantime, please seriously consider and contemplate why you wish to own one of the most money-draining and unpopular franchises in all of sports.
Did you hear me? You are almost certainly losing money. You are less popular than the Wolves. You CAN'T be making money.
Please give serious, thoughtful consideration to running this hockey club. Thank you.
Yeah, it's probably hopeless, but nothing could HURT at this point, could it?
Today, the Blackhawks blew a 2-1 lead to lose 3-2 to the Calgary Flames.
This brings the Blackhawks to 63 points, 6 behind the Columbus Blue Jackets for last place in the Western Conference Central Division, and last overall in the Western Conference.
If you care at all about the Chicago Blackhawks, please immediately fire Denis Savard, the Head Coach, and Dale Tallon, the General Manager. They have proven completely unable to put together a winner.
In the meantime, please seriously consider and contemplate why you wish to own one of the most money-draining and unpopular franchises in all of sports.
Did you hear me? You are almost certainly losing money. You are less popular than the Wolves. You CAN'T be making money.
Please give serious, thoughtful consideration to running this hockey club. Thank you.
Yeah, it's probably hopeless, but nothing could HURT at this point, could it?
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Blackhawks Down
Dear Wirtz family,
As you may or may not know, you are the owners of the Chicago Blackhawks, the city of Chicago's only NHL franchise.
As one of what is probably 1,000 *true* Blackhawk fans remaining in the world, I now ask of you sincerely, on behalf of all of them...
...why do you continue to hurt us like this?
Thursday night, the Blackhawks lost their fifth straight game (one of several times that this has happened this season). It was a shutout, 2-0 to the San Jose Sharks, currently 5th place in the Western Conference and in all likelihood, a playoff-bound team.
How are the Blackhawks doing? 13th; one point from being 14th, and three points from being 15th, which is dead last in the West.
So once again, despite elevated expectations and some good players, the Chicago Blackhawks have drastically underachieved and they will not be in the playoffs.
All the Blackhawks have to show for this year: one fired coach, one all-star, a measly 22 wins when the best team in the league has nearly twice that much (Buffalo), and our fiercest rival, the Detroit Red Wings, is in first place in the Western Conference.
Why do you insist on keeping this team so BAD, Wirtz family? Why do you continue to let us suffer with a terrible head coach, and an even more inept General Manager in Dale Tallon? Sure, Tallon has good intentions, but the man can't evaluate talent to save his life. He brought in the slightly-above-average Martin Lapointe (who, to his credit, became the captain), the terrible and injury-prone Adrian Aucoin, and the highly overrated Nikolai Khabibulin. Tallon passed on better, younger talent to form this squad of forgotten sorta-greats. And do I really need to go into detail about head coach Denis Savard? He's been an assistant coach since 1997, and the Blackhawks have made the playoffs ONCE in that span.
Actually, let's go into detail about Savard's ineptitude, shall we? The following teams in Chicago have enjoyed more playoff appearances than the Blackhawks since 1997:
-The Chicago Bulls
-The Chicago Bears
-The Chicago White Sox
-The Chicago Fire (MLS)
-The Chicago Wolves (AHL Hockey)
-The Chicago Bandits (Professional Women's Softball)
-And yes, EVEN THE CHICAGO FREAKIN' CUBS!
Why, Why, WHY must we loyal Blackhawk fans continue to suffer like this? Why must we watch our beloved team lose on TV (when we can see that, since you black out most home games), in person, and on the internet almost every single day? Why must we continue to have to find other teams to cheer for when the playoffs start? Why must our early-season enthusiasm be gone by the second month of the season?
Some have accused you of just milking the fans of the franchise out of their hard-earned money. To your credit, I don't think that can possibly be true. Fewer and fewer fans come to the United Center every year, and it's almost never full, save for the games against the Red Wings and Blues (and then, it's THEIR fans filling most of it up!) The attendance at Blackhawks games has been so low that it's become common knowledge among hockey fans in Chicagoland that the minor-league Wolves, playing at the lower-capacity Allstate Arena in Rosemont, frequently outdraw the Blackhawks. And it's not like the fans are even buying that much new Blackhawk gear; among the stores carrying less than a complete clothing rack of Blackhawk apparel: Dick's Sporting Goods, the Sports Authority, MC Sporting Goods, Target, K-Mart, Steve and Barry's, and most Wal-Marts.
You claim to be fans, Wirtz family, but are you? Does the losing hurt you as much as it hurts us? Do you really suffer when the 'Hawks limp to the kinds of finishes that they have become known for?
If so, for God's sake, DO SOMETHING! Fire Tallon and Savard! Stop looking within the organization for that savior and look outside for a WINNING coach and GM! Pat Burns, formerly of the Maple Leafs, and gold medal winner for Canada, is still available.
And you could always get down on your hands and knees and beg Darryl Sutter to come back. The franchise hasn't been the same since he left.
Whatever you do, can you at least give us some indication that you care? Many think that you're heartless, faceless individuals who deliberately want to run the franchise into the ground. Absent any words or actions to the contrary, I guess I believe the many. But even if you are those types of individuals, why do you have to hurt OUR franchise? Why do you have to add more misery to fans of a franchise that hasn't won a Stanley Cup since 1961?
Tell you what: here are a number of franchises you COULD run into the ground, and most people would be okay with it:
1) The New York Yankees (They've got 25 world championships and make the playoffs pretty much every year. Some failure wouldn't even phase them, and people would love you for getting rid of the Boss)
2) The Boston Red Sox (They've got the most self-loathing fans in the world anyway)
3) The Florida Panthers (No one has cared about this team since...well, ever)
4) The Tampa Bay Devil Rays (No one even knows this team is still around)
5) The Florida Marlins (Ditto)
6) The New England Patriots (Their head coach can turn crap into gold as it is)
7) The Dallas Cowboys (No one likes them except Texans, who don't matter anyway)
8) The Houston Texans (see directly above)
9) Roger Clemens (okay, not a team, but you could be his agent and run him into the ground and that would make a lot of people happy)
10) The Chicago Cubs (no one would notice)
Whatever, just stop hurting us. We've followed this franchise through hell and back.
We don't deserve this.
As you may or may not know, you are the owners of the Chicago Blackhawks, the city of Chicago's only NHL franchise.
As one of what is probably 1,000 *true* Blackhawk fans remaining in the world, I now ask of you sincerely, on behalf of all of them...
...why do you continue to hurt us like this?
Thursday night, the Blackhawks lost their fifth straight game (one of several times that this has happened this season). It was a shutout, 2-0 to the San Jose Sharks, currently 5th place in the Western Conference and in all likelihood, a playoff-bound team.
How are the Blackhawks doing? 13th; one point from being 14th, and three points from being 15th, which is dead last in the West.
So once again, despite elevated expectations and some good players, the Chicago Blackhawks have drastically underachieved and they will not be in the playoffs.
All the Blackhawks have to show for this year: one fired coach, one all-star, a measly 22 wins when the best team in the league has nearly twice that much (Buffalo), and our fiercest rival, the Detroit Red Wings, is in first place in the Western Conference.
Why do you insist on keeping this team so BAD, Wirtz family? Why do you continue to let us suffer with a terrible head coach, and an even more inept General Manager in Dale Tallon? Sure, Tallon has good intentions, but the man can't evaluate talent to save his life. He brought in the slightly-above-average Martin Lapointe (who, to his credit, became the captain), the terrible and injury-prone Adrian Aucoin, and the highly overrated Nikolai Khabibulin. Tallon passed on better, younger talent to form this squad of forgotten sorta-greats. And do I really need to go into detail about head coach Denis Savard? He's been an assistant coach since 1997, and the Blackhawks have made the playoffs ONCE in that span.
Actually, let's go into detail about Savard's ineptitude, shall we? The following teams in Chicago have enjoyed more playoff appearances than the Blackhawks since 1997:
-The Chicago Bulls
-The Chicago Bears
-The Chicago White Sox
-The Chicago Fire (MLS)
-The Chicago Wolves (AHL Hockey)
-The Chicago Bandits (Professional Women's Softball)
-And yes, EVEN THE CHICAGO FREAKIN' CUBS!
Why, Why, WHY must we loyal Blackhawk fans continue to suffer like this? Why must we watch our beloved team lose on TV (when we can see that, since you black out most home games), in person, and on the internet almost every single day? Why must we continue to have to find other teams to cheer for when the playoffs start? Why must our early-season enthusiasm be gone by the second month of the season?
Some have accused you of just milking the fans of the franchise out of their hard-earned money. To your credit, I don't think that can possibly be true. Fewer and fewer fans come to the United Center every year, and it's almost never full, save for the games against the Red Wings and Blues (and then, it's THEIR fans filling most of it up!) The attendance at Blackhawks games has been so low that it's become common knowledge among hockey fans in Chicagoland that the minor-league Wolves, playing at the lower-capacity Allstate Arena in Rosemont, frequently outdraw the Blackhawks. And it's not like the fans are even buying that much new Blackhawk gear; among the stores carrying less than a complete clothing rack of Blackhawk apparel: Dick's Sporting Goods, the Sports Authority, MC Sporting Goods, Target, K-Mart, Steve and Barry's, and most Wal-Marts.
You claim to be fans, Wirtz family, but are you? Does the losing hurt you as much as it hurts us? Do you really suffer when the 'Hawks limp to the kinds of finishes that they have become known for?
If so, for God's sake, DO SOMETHING! Fire Tallon and Savard! Stop looking within the organization for that savior and look outside for a WINNING coach and GM! Pat Burns, formerly of the Maple Leafs, and gold medal winner for Canada, is still available.
And you could always get down on your hands and knees and beg Darryl Sutter to come back. The franchise hasn't been the same since he left.
Whatever you do, can you at least give us some indication that you care? Many think that you're heartless, faceless individuals who deliberately want to run the franchise into the ground. Absent any words or actions to the contrary, I guess I believe the many. But even if you are those types of individuals, why do you have to hurt OUR franchise? Why do you have to add more misery to fans of a franchise that hasn't won a Stanley Cup since 1961?
Tell you what: here are a number of franchises you COULD run into the ground, and most people would be okay with it:
1) The New York Yankees (They've got 25 world championships and make the playoffs pretty much every year. Some failure wouldn't even phase them, and people would love you for getting rid of the Boss)
2) The Boston Red Sox (They've got the most self-loathing fans in the world anyway)
3) The Florida Panthers (No one has cared about this team since...well, ever)
4) The Tampa Bay Devil Rays (No one even knows this team is still around)
5) The Florida Marlins (Ditto)
6) The New England Patriots (Their head coach can turn crap into gold as it is)
7) The Dallas Cowboys (No one likes them except Texans, who don't matter anyway)
8) The Houston Texans (see directly above)
9) Roger Clemens (okay, not a team, but you could be his agent and run him into the ground and that would make a lot of people happy)
10) The Chicago Cubs (no one would notice)
Whatever, just stop hurting us. We've followed this franchise through hell and back.
We don't deserve this.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
The Angry Mob
Dear Denis Savard,
Hi again. It's us angry Chicago Blackhawk fans.
You know what makes us angry, Mr. Savard? A loss to the Red Wings. Yeah, that pisses us off.
You know what also tends to make us angry? A losing record. (Hawks are now 17-22-5).
Now, the author of this blog was particularly angry at you becoming the head coach, Denis. Just see his November 27, 2006 entry.
Yeah, but you began to prove him wrong. As a head coach, you actually started pushing the Blackhawks towards the playoffs...
...slowly.
The 'Hawks were within striking distance of the playoffs in 10th place.
They're now tied for 12th and in danger of falling to last place.
Hey, you know what might help? Sitting Nikolai Khabibulin. He's probably tired, having played 17 straight games. Yeah, not leaving him in there to get tired and die might definitely help.
Oh, but you know that Denis. You're a brilliant coach. Sports Illustrated even says so.
You'll know what to do.
And since you're so smart there Denis, let us be blunt with you here.
Fix this.
Fix this now.
Fix this now or we will take down that retired jersey of yours that's hanging from the rafters of the United Center, and beat you over the head with it.
Or maybe we'll just replace it with you...
...it depends. Are you going to lose to the Red Wings again?
Hi again. It's us angry Chicago Blackhawk fans.
You know what makes us angry, Mr. Savard? A loss to the Red Wings. Yeah, that pisses us off.
You know what also tends to make us angry? A losing record. (Hawks are now 17-22-5).
Now, the author of this blog was particularly angry at you becoming the head coach, Denis. Just see his November 27, 2006 entry.
Yeah, but you began to prove him wrong. As a head coach, you actually started pushing the Blackhawks towards the playoffs...
...slowly.
The 'Hawks were within striking distance of the playoffs in 10th place.
They're now tied for 12th and in danger of falling to last place.
Hey, you know what might help? Sitting Nikolai Khabibulin. He's probably tired, having played 17 straight games. Yeah, not leaving him in there to get tired and die might definitely help.
Oh, but you know that Denis. You're a brilliant coach. Sports Illustrated even says so.
You'll know what to do.
And since you're so smart there Denis, let us be blunt with you here.
Fix this.
Fix this now.
Fix this now or we will take down that retired jersey of yours that's hanging from the rafters of the United Center, and beat you over the head with it.
Or maybe we'll just replace it with you...
...it depends. Are you going to lose to the Red Wings again?
Monday, November 27, 2006
Is it possible to go below square one?
I admire good sportswriting.
That said, Scott Burnside is the man.
Today, the Chicago Blackhawks finally admitted that their season is going into the tank and fired coach Trent Yawney. As the Miller Lite Men of the Square Table would say, "Good Call."
I was hoping, however, that assistant coach Denis Savard, whom I have never liked behind the bench for his terrible offensive coaching, would be fired.
Too much to ask for, and then some.
I have long felt that Savard was a driving force behind the Blackhawks' suffering. For those who don't recall, Savard did take over the Blackhawks for the final six games of the 2000-2001 campaign.
He didn't win a single game.
And I wouldn't be surprised if Savard didn't win a single game again. No, it's too much to ask of the Blackhawks to hire a proven winner, like Pat Quinn, who happens to have a gold medal under his belt, and plenty of playoff appearances with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and who is available to hire at the moment.
At least Burnside FINALLY calls out Savard for what he is: a bad offensive coach. He also calls out GM Dale Tallon for signing constantly injured (or just plain bad) players, and he calls out the organization in general for consistently hiring and firing bad coaches.
Thank you, Scott Burnside, for saying what loyal Blackhawk fans have been thinking for years now. We couldn't have said it better ourselves.
Hopefully this isn't the last of the firings for what has become a sad organization. Hopefully Savard will eventually join the unemployment line. Hopefully Tallon will follow him. Hopefully some new leadership and fresh blood will be placed in the organization.
In other words, hopefully, Burnside's message doesn't fall on deaf ears.
But when you're a Blackhawk fan, you have to know that no one inside the Chicago Blackhawks will get the message. As a Hawks fan, you grow accustomed to cynicism and disappointment, especially these days...
...where even a step in the right direction turns out to be wrong.
That said, Scott Burnside is the man.
Today, the Chicago Blackhawks finally admitted that their season is going into the tank and fired coach Trent Yawney. As the Miller Lite Men of the Square Table would say, "Good Call."
I was hoping, however, that assistant coach Denis Savard, whom I have never liked behind the bench for his terrible offensive coaching, would be fired.
Too much to ask for, and then some.
I have long felt that Savard was a driving force behind the Blackhawks' suffering. For those who don't recall, Savard did take over the Blackhawks for the final six games of the 2000-2001 campaign.
He didn't win a single game.
And I wouldn't be surprised if Savard didn't win a single game again. No, it's too much to ask of the Blackhawks to hire a proven winner, like Pat Quinn, who happens to have a gold medal under his belt, and plenty of playoff appearances with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and who is available to hire at the moment.
At least Burnside FINALLY calls out Savard for what he is: a bad offensive coach. He also calls out GM Dale Tallon for signing constantly injured (or just plain bad) players, and he calls out the organization in general for consistently hiring and firing bad coaches.
Thank you, Scott Burnside, for saying what loyal Blackhawk fans have been thinking for years now. We couldn't have said it better ourselves.
Hopefully this isn't the last of the firings for what has become a sad organization. Hopefully Savard will eventually join the unemployment line. Hopefully Tallon will follow him. Hopefully some new leadership and fresh blood will be placed in the organization.
In other words, hopefully, Burnside's message doesn't fall on deaf ears.
But when you're a Blackhawk fan, you have to know that no one inside the Chicago Blackhawks will get the message. As a Hawks fan, you grow accustomed to cynicism and disappointment, especially these days...
...where even a step in the right direction turns out to be wrong.
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