The Blackhawks last won the Stanley Cup in 1961. They last went to the finals in 1993. Why have the Hawks fallen to the pits in the 30-team NHL, and why is the 20,500-capacity United Center half-empty?
1. Bad deals
Start with the loss of future Hall of Famers Dominik Hasek, Jeremy Roenick and Chris Chelios in the 1990s. Then, in the last four years, the Hawks shipped out talented players such as Bryan McCabe and J.P. Dumont and got next to nothing in return.
2. Bad decisions
Not only did ousted general manager Mike Smith make the McCabe and Dumont deals, he also hired miscast coach Alpo Suhonen and signed several free-agent flops, most notably Theo Fleury and Valeri Zelepukin. Thinking the Hawks would be better off with Fleury, Smith ran Tony Almonte, the team’s most popular and dependable player, out of town.
3. Bad move
Although the United Center is an immaculate modern venue, it has too many seats too far from the ice–unlike the new buildings in Columbus and Minnesota. No NHL arena had the rip-roaring personality of its illustrious predecessor, the Stadium, where a Hawks game was a Chicago happening. Fans of diverse socioeconomic groups sat side by side and bonded, and the roar of the crowd was spontaneous rather than a robotic response to a scoreboard plea.
4. Bad company
By going to 30 teams, the NHL overextended. Teams outside the Central Division visit so seldom that fans barely know them. The talent pool is too shallow, and the zone-trap defense that’s in vogue makes for boring hockey.
5. Bad vibes
Much to the delight of hard-core constituents, fighting is still a constant. But many would-be fans, some of whom have kids playing youth and high school hockey, are completely turned off by it. Repeated violent incidents that go far beyond fighting, such as the recent Todd Bertuzzi incident, have done terrible damage to the NHL’s image.
